QUETTA: The Model Cust­oms Collectorate’s (MCC), Quetta, collected Rs14.163 billion exceeding the Rs7.321bn target set for the outgoing fiscal year 2015-16 by a hefty 93 per cent.

A senior official of the MCC said on Monday that the customs duty collection jumped to Rs4.474bn and sales tax to Rs7.122bn exceeding their respective targets of Rs1.541bn and Rs4.797bn for the year.

Similarly, the Federal Excise Duty (FED) collection rose 84pc to Rs164.059m.

Against the withholding tax target of Rs892.910m, the MMC Quetta collected Rs2.402bn.“During June 2016 an extraordinary collection of Rs2bn was made by the collectorate,” the customs official said, adding that this unprecedented revenue collection will set a new trend and promote tax culture in the province.

This massive tax collection has been made possible thanks to increased checks on clearances at customs stations, re-invigorated enforcement effo­rts with Frontier Corps Balo­c­histan and police, strengthening of customs check-posts, speedy disposal of seized goods and vehicles through auctions.

An amount of Rs1.2bn was realised on account of disposal of seized goods/vehicles in the outgoing fiscal year.

The MCC has established new customs check-posts at Bolan and Manikhaw (District

Sherani) to check movement of smuggled goods going out of the province.

Concerted anti-smuggling efforts led to the impounding of 636 Non-duty paid vehicles, 528 vehicles used in the offence of smuggling, seizures of more than 3 million litres of smuggled Iranian diesel, besides other miscellaneous goods in 2015-16.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2016