Torkham Customs revenue up by 20pc: official

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Revenue of the Customs Department at the Torkham dry port in eastern Nangarhar province has jumped by 20 percent this financial year that ends on March 21, an official said on Tuesday.

Bashir Ahmad Sadat, the department’s head, told Pajhwok Afghan News an increase of nearly 117 million afghanis had been recorded in revenue, compared with last year’s collections, despite a 30 percent decline in trade activity.

He attributed the rise to efforts at controlling corruption in the department. He said the revenue stood at 830 million afs as of September last year, compared with 947 million afs during the same period this year.

Sadat said they had been able to prevent the transfer of commercial goods through a number of smuggling routes via the border with Pakistan, resulting in increased tax collections.

“There has been a significant increase in trade activity after the conclusion of the security pact with the US and end to the political deadlock. Previously nearly 200 vehicles carrying commercial goods would cross the border, but now their number has increased to 600.”

Sadat said the replacement of ASYCUDA plus plus system with the latest generation ASYCUDA World had intensified and simplified their activities.

He said they had installed a scanning system to detect drugs and weapons. Smuggled goods would enter Afghanistan from Pakistan on friendship buses in the past, but now the illegal activity had been curtailed, the official said. He said they had controlled corruption to a great extent and as a result, the revenue increased.

Some time ago, truckers shipping goods on the Torkham-Kabul highway had alleged they were coerced into paying illegal money at various locations on the route by police, scale and customs officials.

ma

Visits: 1