Daily Times

Whether it was in the wake of public outcry or a result of the sane revision of the controversial SRO 2028(I)/2024, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has withdrawn the draft notification. Travellers to Pakistan must be relieved by the development. The proposed amendment to the Baggage Rules, 2006, would have caused unnecessary trouble at Pakistani airports. By all means, the measure if implemented, would make Pakistan a traveler-unwelcoming country.

Every single sentence of the draft was not traveller-friendly. It defined ‘commercial quantity’ under the baggage scheme setting a $1,200 limit for goods deemed intended for trade. Come on. The scheme was to count everything in the baggage at the tagged price. A smartphone, a bundle of chocolates, and a few perfumes would have hit the bar of $1,200.

The FBR says it intended to curb the misuse of baggage allowances by commercial carriers. The clarification lacks one thing – clarity. The text of the SRO draft tells that the traveller’s personal belongings exceeding the threshold ($1,200) would be confiscated.

Restricting passengers to one mobile phone and subjecting additional devices to confiscation or taxes is a contentious proposal. Let us follow the realities of modern travel, where carrying multiple phones and laptops for personal or family use is common. Similarly, the requirement to pay duties, taxes and penalties for goods over $1,200 would have opened a hell gate of corruption for customs officials.

The FBR took a good 24 hours to reach the bottom line and issue a clarification that the rules targeted commercial quantities and not personal belongings. But again it goes to customs officials to declare a pack of chocolates a gift or a commercial item.

Now, when the storm is over, let us give credit where credit is due. It is the public outcry on social media which forced the FBR to take the right decision – withdrawal of the draft. Thank you, FBR, for showing a willingness to listen to public concerns and avoid measures that would harm genuine travellers. *