PTA calls for customers to speed up

The Pakistan Tanners' Association has called for imports required for export manufacturing to be cleared by customs within 24 hours to speed delivery to export customers. In its list of proposals for the next federal budget the PTA says that all inputs imported temporarily for re-export as manufactured goods should be released within 24 hours of the filling of the bill of entry. At present customs release the goods in about one week. The PTA makes a number of additional requests. It reiterates its demand to allow duty free import of accessories for leathergoods production. It also wants the import of machinery to be zero rated. It points out that drafting mistakes in the list of locally manufactured machines are preventing leather exporters from benefiting from the duty free import of machines. It would like raw hides and skins to be exempted from the payment of sales tax. It points out that commercial importers have to pay 6% income tax and 15% sales tax on imports of raw skins and hides, which greatly increases the cost of the raw material purchased by the exporters. It demands zero-rated imports of raw, pickled and wet-blue hides and skins. It suggests that the export development surcharge, charged by the Ministry of Commerce on export consignments, should be discontinued because large funds have been accumulated in the EDS account.