FBR launches faceless customs assessment for trade ease

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has established a Central Appraisement Unit (CAU) in Karachi to enhance the quality of assessment and ensure uniformity and transparency in the processing of Goods Declarations (GDs).

The CAU is a key component of the customs reforms under Faceless Customs Assessment (FCA), aimed at modernising customs operations to lighten the workload of appraising officers (AOs) and to enhance trade facilitation.

The new system is notified through a Customs General Order (CGO) No. 06 of 2024.

The CAU will handle consignments arriving at all terminals within Karachi Port and Port Muhammad Bin Qasim (PMBQ). GDs filed at various collectorates in Karachi will be allocated to the CAU for assessment.

Establishes CAU in Karachi to ensure transparency in GDs processing

In its initial phase, the FCA will operate exclusively within Karachi’s port terminals, with plans for a phased rollout to Air Freight Units (AFUs), dry ports, and border customs stations across Pakistan.

The Chief Collector of Customs Appraisement (South), Karachi, will notify the CAU to be located at a designated site in Karachi. The CAU will operate under strict protocols to ensure the security and integrity of its processes.

The chief collector will post deputy/assistant collectors MIS/CAU in CAU, who will be responsible for the resolution of system-related and/or operational issues. The chief collector will also ensure complete isolation/sanitisation of the work environment of the relevant CAU Hall. No cellular phones will be allowed in the CAU.

The GDs allocated to CAU for assessment in the Customs Computerised System (CCS) will be

assigned to the AOs posted in CAU randomly in a group-less setting, one GD at a time on a ‘first in first out’ (FIFO) basis.

The GDs assessment will be completed per provisions of the Customs Act 1969 and rules made thereunder, including Valuation Rulings, Customs General Orders, Public Notices and instructions issued by the FBR from time to time, and other applicable laws and regulations.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2024