Pakistan Customs
Pakistan Customs is the guardian of Pakistan's borders against movement of contra band goods and is a facilitator of bona fide trade. It provides a major source of revenue to the Government of Pakistan in the form of taxes levied on the goods traded across the borders. It also helps to protect the domestic industry, discourage consumptions of luxury goods and stimulate development in the under -developed areas. Customs and Regulatory duties amount up to 15% of the total receipts collected by the Federal Board of Revenue. Pakistan Customs is manned by officers from the Pakistan Customs Service (PCS) which has been one of the premier occupational group amongst Pakistan's civil services. Previously known as the “Customs & Excise group”, it was re-classified as Pakistan Customs Service in November 2010, when the responsibility of Sales Tax & Federal Excise was taken away and a new occupational service developed to collect Sales Tax, Federal Excise and Income Tax namely Inland Revenue Service (IRS). This has given PCS officers an opportunity to focus on their core function of acting as guardian of the nation’s borders against illegitimate trade and regulating bona fide trade. While the role of Pakistan Customs Service has been greatly diminished because of the loss of sales tax and federal excise to IRS, the move has allowed Pakistan Customs Service to become a lean and mean service with enhanced focus on border control.
The anti-smuggling powers delegated previously by Pakistan Customs to Pakistan Rangers and FC were withdrawn in view of expansion of PCS in border regions and now Pakistan Customs is planning to have an enhanced anti-smuggling role in border areas which will allow it to play an important role in national development. The shift in the role of Pakistan Customs from a revenue-collection agency to a border control agency with substantial responsibility in safe-guarding country’s trade policies is what appears to be the future of Pakistan Customs Service.
Ranks in Pakistan Customs Service
Member Customs/ Chief Collector (North/South/Central)
- Collector of Customs
- Additional Collector of Customs
- Deputy Collector of Customs/ Assistant Collector of Customs
- Superintendent of Customs/ Superintendent of Intelligence & Investigation/ Superintendent of Preventive Services/ Principal Appraiser
- Deputy Superintendent of Customs/ Senior Intelligence Officer/ Inspector Preventive Services/ Appraissing officer
- Inspector of Customs/ Intelligence Officer/Senior Preventive Officer / Examining Officer
- Preventive Officer
- Office Superintendent
- Stenographer
- Head Clerk
- Stenotypist
- Wireless Operator
- Upper Division Clerk (UDC)
- Lower Division Clerk (LDC)
- Head Constable/ Hawaldar/ Kot Gusht
- Sepoy
- Driver
- Constable
WeBOC
Web Based One Customs: Web-based customs clearance system that provides real time integration of agents, brokers, terminal operators, cargo handlers and customs officials for the clearance of trade consignments and collection of duties/allied taxes. Will be implemented across Pakistan at all customs stations including sea, air and dry ports. Will ultimately process and manage the collection of 45% of Pakistan's total tax revenue, connect 30,000 trade related stakeholders and reduce customs clearance from and average 5-10days to 2hrs-24hrs. But as per Custom Agents it takes 5-10 Days only in examination and Single Consignment which can easily clear in 2 days can take at least 15 Days for clearance due to misbehavement of Customs Authority and Bugs and Errors of System.
FBR is currently engaged in the issue of replacing PaCCS with WeBOC due to a long standing issue with Agility Solutions over the use and intellectual property of PaCCS. Traders and Customs officials are keen to use WeBOC all over Pakistan because is a home grown solution and can be easily modified to shape up and provide more effective customs control and better trade facilitation. However, vested interests in FBR and Ministry of Finance are trying to make an expensive sale of PaCCS to FBR which will cost Government of Pakistan nearly USD300mln.