RECORDER REPORT

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has constituted a joint committee comprising Director General (DG) Intelligence & Investigation Inland Revenue (IR), DG Intelligence & Investigation (Customs), Chief Commissioner IR RTOs, Peshawar/Islamabad/ Rawalpindi & CCIR Large Taxpayer Unit (LTU), Islamabad, to check/probe into illicit manufacturing/trade of cigarettes/tobacco.

Sources said that the decision was taken in the last Chief Commissioner Conference. It was stated during the proceedings of the conference that revenue from cigarette sector was not showing any improvement due to decrease in the production/sales of the formal sector of tobacco manufacturing/ trade.

It was pointed out that this reduction was mainly due to increase in the illicit manufacturing/ trade of this sector. Resultantly, the FBR is losing huge amount of revenue.

Accordingly, it was decided that a joint committee shall be constituted comprising DG Intelligence & Investigation (IRO, DG Intelligence & Investigation (Customs), CCIRs, RTO, Peshawar/Islamabad/ Rawalpindi & CCIR LTU, Islamabad, to check/probe into illicit manufacturing/trade of cigarettes/tobacco.

Every RTO/LTU shall make a “Cigarette/Tobacco Squad” to work for one month in order to conduct inspection/raids on illicit cigarette production units, the FBR added.