ISLAMABAD: Federal Tax Ombudsman Dr Asif Mahmood Jah on Friday provided prompt redressal to the importer of agricultural tractors, directing the Port Qasim Collectorate to release the held-up consignment of Agricultural Tractors within hours of the complaint.

Federal Tax Ombudsman, took immediate notice of the complaint and without waiting for official correspondence, telephonic directions were issued to the Chief Collector Customs Appraisement, Karachi, who after necessary checks ordered consignment to be released. The FTO has taken the decision in pursuance of the present government’s policy to provide immediate relief to the aggrieved taxpayers.

The complainant has appreciated the immediate relief and has stated that directives for immediate clearances and for stoppel of discrimination of the taxpayer saved him from the high handedness of the tax officials, and the financial loss they would have inflicted upon him due to illegal delay. The importer has also stated the release of tractors before sowing season would facilitate on time provision of tractors to the farmers of Pakistan.

Earlier, the complainant being regular importer of “Agricultural Tractors”, had filed documents last month for clearance of 30 Agricultural Tractors to be used by the farmers of the country. After proper examination/scrutiny of consignment by the authorities, duty and taxes were paid and the authorities released the goods.

However, before it was gated-out, Port Qasim Collectorate blocked the consignment on 13.10.2021 without any legal cause and justification. The complainant approached the Federal Tax Ombudsman and said that he had filed 6 GDs in which unnecessary delay was being created by Customs perhaps to benefit his competitors whose consignment was earlier released, despite the fact that there was no difference between the goods imported by the complainant and their competitors.—PR