ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Friday exempted over 2,403 Chinese goods from payment of sales tax, income tax and federal excise duty being cleared from Customs Dry Port Sost meant for exclusive consumption in Gilgit-Baltistan. The FBR has notified S.R.O. 2488 (I)/2025 here on Friday to issue a special procedure for clearance of goods from Customs Dry Port Sost. These rules shall apply for clearance of goods from Customs Dry port at Sost. The sales tax, income tax and federal excise duty payable on imports covered under this notification shall not be levied provided that consignment wise authorization is issued on-line in Customs Computerized Clearance system by the duly notified authority of the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan in the format as provided in the said system. Local consumption: Goods imported thru Sost border to get tax relief The benefit of non-levy of sales tax, income tax and federal excise duty shall be extended by the Collector of Customs on First Come First Serve basis within the approved quota limit, however, goods imported for consumption within Gilgit-Baltistan region beyond the allocated quota shall be subject to levy of sales tax, income tax and federal excise duty. The Gilgit-Baltistan government shall ensure that all the goods imported under this notification are exclusively used within the territory of Gilgit-Baltistan. In case Customs operations are disrupted through protests and road blockade, the Collector of Customs, Gilgit-Baltistan, upon consultation with the government of Gilgit-Baltistan, shall have the authority to suspend non-levy of sales tax, income tax and federal excise duty under this notification. The Collector of Customs, Gilgit-Baltistan, shall have the authority to disallow the non-levy of sales tax, income tax and federal excise duty in any individual case where mis-declaration is detected at a scale that warrants institution of contravention case under Customs Act, 1969; and the goods cleared under this notification are taken out of Gilgit-Baltistan’s territorial jurisdiction. The Chief Collector of Customs (Enforcement) shall take appropriate measures to ensure that goods cleared under this notification are not taken out of Gilgit-Baltistan. The listed PCT Codes in the Table shall be subject to periodical review and adjustment by the Board. Special procedure shall also be devised by the Board to effectively identify, track and clear goods which are imported via Sost for rest of the country from the goods cleared under this notification. All the relevant provision of the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, 1950 , Import Policy Order and Customs Act, 1969 shall apply to all the goods imported through the Sost Dry Port, whether those are for consumption in GB or the rest of the country. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025