Importers complain of assessment

KARACHI: The trader community is irked with the Customs assessment of their imported consignments on higher values, as the decline in the prices of commodities in the international market has not been incorporated in the system.

An importer said on Wednesday that the customs clearance of their consignments had become an issue, and Customs department was carrying out assessment on the basis of their past 90-day data, which was not reflecting the actual rates of imported goods.

This has increased the landing cost of goods as well as slowed clearance, resulting in congestion at the terminals.

Karachi Customs Agents Association (KCAA) General Secretary Nadeem Kamil said prices of all the commodities, including petroleum, chemicals, and plastic, had declined significantly in the international markets. While, he said the Customs authorities were still relying on their past 90-day data, which was unrealistic.  Kamil said these issues should be addressed and traders should be facilitated so the decline in prices of goods in the international market could be passed on to the end consumers.