The 10-month-old incumbent government, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has not only developed the Faceless Customs Assessment System (FCAS) indigenously but also successfully implemented its first phase in the port city of Karachi, proving the famous saying, ‘Where there is a will, there is a way.’ Launched on December 15 by the FBR without any foreign funding or advisory support, the new automated system has delivered remarkable results in less than two weeks. The system has reduced container clearance time by 39% and cut down harassment of importers by 83%. “Almost 80% of the country’s imports and exports pass through Karachi ports. With the installation of FCAS, corruption has reduced significantly, and efficiency in the appraisement process has improved,” Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb said in a statement. Previously, the appraisement process for Goods Declarations (GDs) was plagued by corruption and a lack of transparency, as importers often engaged directly with appraisers, allowing declarations to be processed without proper oversight. The introduction of FCAS has transformed this process, bringing automation that reduces human intervention, curtails corrupt practices, and enhances transparency. Under the first phase of the new system, consignments are selected by the automated Risk Management System at the terminals of Karachi Port and Port Muhammad Bin Qasim. Documents are then allocated to assessment units at the Appraisement Collectorates of East, West, and Port Qasim. In this system, the allocation of goods declaration documents is handled randomly, in a group-less setting, with each declaration processed on a “first-in, first-out” (FIFO) basis by the customs computerized system. Since its launch, the average dwell time for containers at port has decreased dramatically, from 108 hours to just 66 hours. This significant reduction is the result of eliminating direct contact between importers and appraisers, replacing the traditional process with a fully automated mechanism. The new system has been integrated with the FBR’s own Web-Based One Customs (WeBOC) platform. The updates to this platform align with provisions in the Customs General Order and other relevant legal frameworks, meeting modern trade facilitation standards. Meanwhile talking to the APP here Monday, Member Legal and Accounting Customs, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Saeed Akram said the FCAS, aims to address long-standing issues by enabling remote, technology-driven customs assessments that reduce physical interactions and rely on automated processes. He said that the number of examination cases has dropped dramatically, from 717 on December 15 to just 98, an 86% reduction and similarly, cases requiring document submission have decreased by 83%, from 3,346 to just 564. Despite the success of the new system, there has been no decrease in the filing of goods declarations or the payment of duties and taxes, he said. He said that between December 16 and 27, approximately 21,380 goods declarations were filed, reflecting a 7% increase over the pre-automation period. Moreover, cases marked for assessment decreased by 30%, indicating a reduction in the likelihood of kickbacks, he said. Member legal and Accounting Customs said the government also collected Rs116.4 billion in import taxes, a 14% increase compared to the previous fortnight. Saeed Akram the FBR is preparing to roll out the second phase of FCAS by June 2025, which will expand the system to all Appraisement Collectorates nationwide. This phase will also extend the system to dry ports and land border stations under the Enforcement and Export Collectorates for the clearance of import consignments, he said. The senior official of FBR said that soon, the system will be implemented at the Islamabad and Sialkot Dry Ports through the establishment of dedicated units in Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta. He said that these units will operate under the Chief Collectors of Appraisement for Punjab, North, and Balochistan, respectively. “We will handle goods declarations filed within their jurisdictions. For any declarations filed at dry ports or customs stations outside these jurisdictions, FCAS will be managed through the centralized Customs Assessment Unit (CAU)” he said.