PM Shehbaz directs to curb smuggling, tax evasion in cigarette industry

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities concerned to take immediate measures to curb smuggling and tax evasion in the cigarette industry, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

Chairing a high-level meeting to stamp out the smuggling of tobacco and to discourage the tendency of tax evasion, the prime minister also directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to ensure meeting its revenue targets.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah, PM’s Special Assistant Tariq Bajwa, Chairman FBR Asim Ahmed and other senior officials, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

During the meeting, PM Shehbaz stressed for bringing the tax evaders to face the law and observed that with the use of the latest technology and better enforcement, the tax collection system could be improved.

The meeting was apprised that under the prime minister’s directive, ‘track and trace system’ had been installed in the majority of cigarette manufacturing units which has improved tax collection.

In this sector, during the period from July to December, worth Rs83.5 billion tax had been collected which was 26 percent higher than the tax collected during the corresponding period in the last year.

PM Shehbaz observed that FBR through a comprehensive mechanism should further improve the system, so that tax evasion could be completely stamped out.

He also appreciated the efforts of FBR to improve the tax collection system and directed for further accelerating the steps in this regard.

Earlier in October, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) seized 42 cartons of non-custom paid cigarettes in Karachi. The FBR team raided a godown located in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal area and seized 42 cartons of cigarettes.

The recovered cigarettes are worth Rs420,000, the FBR raiding team said. Further investigation into the matter was underway.