Revenue collection without harassment top priority: Dr Hafeez

KARACHI: Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs, on Sunday said that the top priority of the government was to collect revenue without harassment.

Addressing at an event to celebrate the International Customs Day at the Customs House, Karachi, he said that Customs authorities should prioritize this object of the government regarding revenue collection.

The adviser said that Pakistan Customs had achieved milestones during the past but he also stressed on improving the perception about the organization.

“Efficiency is very important. But perception about the organization is also more important because its name is attached with the country’s name,” he added.

Dr. Hafeez Shaikh said that the role of Pakistan Customs should be contributing to national economy besides facilitating foreign trade. “Pakistan Customs should have a key role in facilitating exports and imports,” he added. The adviser said that the role of Customs should also be to improve revenue for the country to make it independent in the world.

He assured the Customs authorities of extending all support from the government in terms of human resource and technology advancement.

Talking about the slogan of this year on the Customs Day, he said obviously the Customs has to protect frontiers. It has to collect revenue. It has to go after the bad guys, counterfeiters and tax evaders. “At the same time, it is need of the time to make life easy for businessmen and travelers to come Pakistan for the discovery of beauty and hospitality of the country.” Dr. Hafeez Shaikh advised the Customs to ensure services delivery as per the expectations of people living in the country and for those coming into Pakistan.

On the occasion, Agha Jawwad, Member Customs, said that the Customs was providing 24x7 services throughout the year. He said that Customs had facilitated the business community in obstructing counterfeit goods. He said that Pakistan Customs had initiated harsh action for the protection of genuine goods undhe Intellectual Property Rights. “During past year, the Customs seized around Rs7-10 billion counterfeit products and destroyed it,” he added.

He said that various consumer items were found in the market using trade mark or brand name of leading companies, incurring not only losses to those companies but also causing health and economic issues for the people. He said that around 128 countries of the world were celebrating the day. He further said that the Pakistan Customs had signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with 35 countries for exchange of information regarding foreign trade.