Only overseas Pakistanis who have not imported, gifted, or received a vehicle in the last two years are eligible to import vehicles under the Personal Baggage, Transfer of Residence, or Gift schemes, as per the Import Policy Order, 2022.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has presented a report to the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) regarding the issue of delayed clearance of vehicles by overseas Pakistanis and the misuse of immigration data.
Concerns were raised about the accessibility of passport data after Goods Declaration (GD) filing, which is allegedly openly traded in car groups by certain individuals. This practice reportedly leads to significant harm to the original importers, with instances of passport verification occurring prior to GD filing, and duplicate Permanent Residence Certificates (PRCs) being issued by banks. It is imperative that the Directorate of Reforms & Automation takes steps to ensure the security of this valuable data of Overseas Pakistanis.
The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has instructed the Director of the Directorate of Reforms & Automation, Karachi, to develop and implement an electronic Cargo Release Order Form (e-CRF) issued by the Collectorate of Customs, Appraisement (West), Karachi. This system aims to empower assessing officers to verify that no Goods Declaration (GD) is filed for a new passport by the same importer who has previously imported a vehicle under the Baggage, Transfer of Residence, or Gift Scheme using their old passport within the past two years.
The complaint, cited under Section 10(1) of the Federal Tax Ombudsman Ordinance, 2000 (FTO Ordinance), was lodged against the Chief Collector, Appraisement (South), Karachi, and the Director of the Directorate of Customs, Reforms & Automation, Karachi, concerning delays in vehicle clearance for overseas Pakistanis and the improper use of immigration data.
In the course of the hearing, the departmental representative from the Collectorate clarified that overseas Pakistanis are eligible to import vehicles under the Personnel Baggage Scheme, Transfer of Residence, and Gift Scheme provided they have not imported, gifted, or received a vehicle within the last two years as stipulated in the proviso to Para(2) of Appendix-E of the Import Policy Order, 2022.
