ISLAMABAD (October 10 2006): The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has issued lists of duty-free allowances admissible for clearance of goods under the 'Green Channel' facility, and dutiable items covered under 'Red Channel' at all international airports in the country.
Sources said on Monday that the CBR has issued instructions to collectors of customs for proper implementation of baggage rules through 'Green' and 'Red' channels, facilitating the incoming passengers, including overseas Pakistanis and foreigners working in Pakistan.
Two separate lists have been dispatched to the collectors for enforcement at these channels. Under the first list, passengers having no dutiable items would clear these goods under 'Green Channel', and a separate list covering dutiable goods would be cleared under the 'Red Channel'. The lists would clearly guide the passengers to identify the duty-free allowances permissible under the 'Green' and 'Red' Channels.
According to the CBR directive, the 'Green Channel' facility should be extensively published through airlines, representatives of trade bodies and the same should be visibly displayed at international airports. In this regard, the brochure on baggage rules, being prepared, would also be available for the incoming passengers.
Through the lists dispatched to the collectors of customs, the following items would be admissible to all passengers irrespective of their stay abroad under the duty-free allowance and would be cleared under the 'Green Channel': Items of personal use including personal wearing, apparel and clothing accessories, personal adornment, toilet requisites and electric shaver in use, push cart, toys, goods of personal use of child passenger, one wheel chair for personal use, one electric iron, one hair dryer and one hair dresser, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 500 grams of manufactured tobacco, one mobile phone, one wrist watch, medals, trophies, prize bestowed upon passengers and laptop computer and its accessories in use of the passenger.
As per instructions, the following items would be admissible once in a year to the passengers if stay aboard is more than seven days under the 'Green Channel' in addition to the above-mentioned goods, other items included one radio or tape recorder excluding hi-fi systems and home theatre; one VCP or VCR or VCD or DVD player or a similar appliance having more than one of the playing, recording or display function; one still and one video camera; personal jewellery in reasonable quantity, professional tools of value not exceeding $500, tabarrukats, one desktop or laptop computer in personal use; other goods of the value not exceeding $500 excluding television, deep freezer, refrigerator, microwave oven, cooking range, washing machine and air-conditioner.
Sources said that Pakistani nationals availing the Transfer of Residence (TR) scheme are allowed clearance of all the above-mentioned items and additional allowances under the 'Green Channel'. The additional allowances include old and used furniture, fixture, crockery, cutlery, kitchen utensils, rugs, carpets, household linen, bedding including blankets and other household goods greatly used by a family during their stay abroad excluding television, deep freezer, refrigerator, microwave oven, cooking range, washing machine and air-conditioners; professional tools or equipment of value not exceeding $5000; second hand or used medical equipment including second-hand or used medical equipment, including electro-medical equipment in use of a passenger, who is registered with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council; weapon of non-prohibited bore (only for personnel of armed forces, customs, police or any other law enforcement agency).
According to the instructions, the tourists and foreign nationals are eligible to bring items of personal use including personal wearing, apparel and clothing accessories, personal adornment, toilet requisites and electric shaver in use, push cart, toys, goods of personal use of child passenger, one wheel chair for personal use, one electric iron, one hair dryer and one hair dresser, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 500 grams of manufactured tobacco, one mobile phone, one wrist watch, medals, trophies, prize bestowed upon passengers and laptop computer and its accessories in use of the passenger. The tourists and foreign nationals can also bring one still and one video camera and professional tools of value not exceeding $500 under the 'Green Channel'.
The CBR has further directed the collectors that the 'Red Channel' is for passengers having dutiable goods. The 'Red Channel' would cover goods not listed under the 'Green Channel'; goods in commercial quantity and arms and ammunition, subversive literature, items of the intellectual property right infringement, alcoholic beverages and other banned and restricted goods are not allowed under any circumstances, sources said.
