ISLAMABAD: Since its inception, the Faceless Customs Assessment System (FCAM) has approved 4,000 shipments, according to a Monday statement from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
According to the board, the FCAM has significantly decreased the need for extra paperwork and examination calls by using its centralized appraisal unit at the South Asia Pakistan Terminal in Karachi.
A senior FBR official told Dawn on Monday that arbitrary delays and unnecessary paperwork are now a thing of the past with the implementation of this digital reform at one of Karachi’s busiest ports.
The number of additional documentation and examination calls has drastically decreased as a result of the FCAM. The official stated that the introduction of FCA has changed the customs clearance scene and brought in a new era of efficiency and transparency, saying, “This is not just a step forward—it is a leap towards modernization and efficiency.”
Industry executives want the backlog to be cleared quickly.
A week prior to the FCAM’s inauguration on December 16, almost 30% of goods declarations (GDs) had objections requiring additional review, according to official data provided by the FBR. This number has since fallen by an astounding 2 percent.
Similarly, this new technology has significantly improved customs processes by reducing physical examinations, which were previously a bottleneck for trade, by 83 percent. Simultaneously, a significant decrease of 84 percent was noted in the supplementary documentation needs.
Tax officials claim that since the implementation of this system, revenue—which is sometimes a casualty of system overhauls—has stayed constant while the number of GDs submitted has grown, proving that FCAM is both effective and financially stable.
For ethical companies, the advantage of FCAM is obvious: quicker, easier clearances with no additional fees. In a same vein, committed FBR officers who place a high value on hard work and merit now work in an environment that rewards honesty.
Jawed Bilwani, president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, assured Dawn that the FCAM will promote trade and lessen corruption. In order to reduce the backlog, he recommended that the FBR direct customs offices to stay open on Saturday and Sunday.
Mr. Bilwani thinks that by cutting down on clearance time and requiring less paperwork, the new digital evaluation will help the business community. According to him, the anticipated results of computerized refund processing have already been achieved, halting corruption.
Salim Valimohammad, president of the Pakistan Chemical Dyes and Merchant Association, told Dawn that there are unskilled people using the system, which could cause delays or challenges for traders. In order to clear the backlog, he also pushed FBR to run customs offices on Saturdays and Sundays.
He encouraged the FBR to have customs offices clear all admissions every day, even if it meant working late, until the workers are properly educated.
Through more openness and less corruption, FCAM is changing how people view the effectiveness and equity of the FBR.
According to the tax officials, the new system will guarantee that GDs are assessed consistently regardless of the port of entry, that regional differences are removed, and that customs procedures are standardized throughout Pakistan’s entry locations.
But not everybody is having a party. They noted that the informal power structures that previously enabled some people to get around official lines are destroyed by the system’s “First In, First Out” (FIFO) principle.
Analysts predict that prominent figures in Karachi’s customs circles may oppose the reform and use trade associations to weaken the system. This aversion stems from the fact that they run the risk of losing this age of current customs.
The people who benefited most from collaboration, however, are dishonest importers, clearinghouses, and opportunists who took advantage of the previous system to avoid paying taxes or to obtain unfair advantages. The users of this system have realized that their days in the sun are finally over due to the quick erosion of FCAM’s impact due to its faceless approach.
