06-15-2006, 10:53 PM
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Pak-Afghan Joint Economic Commission meeting
Kabul imposes new tariff on Pak imports
By Sajid Chaudhry
ISLAMABAD: The Afghan government has imposed a new customs tariff to help reduce smuggling from Afghanistan to Pakistan, an adviser to the Afghan Finance Ministry has said.
Asad Sakhi Farhad told Pakistani officials at the sixth Pak-Afghan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting on Wednesday that the Afghan government had also changed the status of âseveral finished products being imported into Afghanistan as raw material, to intermediate productsâ.
He said this in response to a request by the Pakistani authorities to control smuggling of goods from Afghanistan. Farhad said that the import duty on items coming into Afghanistan such as fabrics and vehicles had been increased manifold. The new customs tariff would help control the smuggling of these items into Pakistan because smuggling would no longer be as profitable, he said. The adviser said that the Afghan government would examine the effect of the enforcement of the new tariff in the coming months, and would continue to adopt such measures for the benefit of both countries.
He also requested the Pakistan government to take effective measures to control smuggling, as âthis illegal trade is depriving the Afghan government of a sizeable amount of taxes and dutiesâ.
Earlier, Central Board of Revenue official Shahid Rahim Sheikh informed the Afghan side that a large quantity of goods imported under the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA) was being smuggled back to Pakistan, and asked the Afghan authorities to check this practice.
Afghanistan also demanded a land transit facility from Pakistan for its imports from India. However, Pakistani officials said that the issue was being discussed in bilateral trade talks with India, and suggested that the Afghan side wait for the outcome of the dialogue.
Afghanistan also asked Pakistan to remove all items from its negative list, and address âoperational difficultiesâ faced by Afghan importers in the transport of goods under the ATTA to attract more Afghan imports through Pakistan.
Pak-Afghan Joint Economic Commission meeting
Kabul imposes new tariff on Pak imports
By Sajid Chaudhry
ISLAMABAD: The Afghan government has imposed a new customs tariff to help reduce smuggling from Afghanistan to Pakistan, an adviser to the Afghan Finance Ministry has said.
Asad Sakhi Farhad told Pakistani officials at the sixth Pak-Afghan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting on Wednesday that the Afghan government had also changed the status of âseveral finished products being imported into Afghanistan as raw material, to intermediate productsâ.
He said this in response to a request by the Pakistani authorities to control smuggling of goods from Afghanistan. Farhad said that the import duty on items coming into Afghanistan such as fabrics and vehicles had been increased manifold. The new customs tariff would help control the smuggling of these items into Pakistan because smuggling would no longer be as profitable, he said. The adviser said that the Afghan government would examine the effect of the enforcement of the new tariff in the coming months, and would continue to adopt such measures for the benefit of both countries.
He also requested the Pakistan government to take effective measures to control smuggling, as âthis illegal trade is depriving the Afghan government of a sizeable amount of taxes and dutiesâ.
Earlier, Central Board of Revenue official Shahid Rahim Sheikh informed the Afghan side that a large quantity of goods imported under the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA) was being smuggled back to Pakistan, and asked the Afghan authorities to check this practice.
Afghanistan also demanded a land transit facility from Pakistan for its imports from India. However, Pakistani officials said that the issue was being discussed in bilateral trade talks with India, and suggested that the Afghan side wait for the outcome of the dialogue.
Afghanistan also asked Pakistan to remove all items from its negative list, and address âoperational difficultiesâ faced by Afghan importers in the transport of goods under the ATTA to attract more Afghan imports through Pakistan.