FBR Introduces Faceless Assessment System to Transform Customs Operations
KARACHI: December 26: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has officially launched the innovative Faceless Assessment System (FAS), aiming to curb corruption and ensure transparency in customs operations. Over a 10-day period from December 13 to December 23, the system successfully processed and cleared 5,500 Goods Declarations (GDs), marking a significant step forward, according to Chief Collector Appraisement, Pakistan Customs, Jameel Nasir.
In a media briefing held at the newly established Customs Collectorate at Hutchison Port, Keamari, Karachi, Pakistan Customs provided a live demonstration of the fully operational FAS. Chief Collector Jameel Nasir highlighted the system’s transformative impact on trade facilitation, reporting faster clearance times and enhanced efficiency.
The new system has reduced the average dwell time for cargo clearance from five days to three, with further improvements expected. Additionally, unnecessary document requests during examinations have decreased by 80%, a stark contrast to previous practices where 25-30% of GDs required document calling.
Jameel Nasir emphasized that risk management adjustments under FAS have significantly reduced the percentage of consignments flagged for manual checks in the yellow channel from 5% to just 1%. Before the implementation, approximately 2,000 GDs required detailed document scrutiny, but this number has dropped to only 370.
The Chief Collector also noted a remarkable improvement in revenue collection, with annual tax revenues rising from PKR 46.6 billion to PKR 61.2 billion. The total duty and tax collections have surged from PKR 170 billion to PKR 204 billion. He attributed this growth to the system’s transparent, first-in-first-out operational mechanism, which eliminates any informal costs.
Senior customs officials, including Collector Customs (East) Waheed, Additional Deputy Collector Imran Razak, Deputy Collector (West) Adnan, and DC Headquarters Ali Tauqir, were present at the event, further underscoring the importance of the initiative.
The FAS rollout represents a groundbreaking shift in Pakistan Customs’ operations, promoting efficiency, integrity, and trade facilitation.
