FBR starts winning cases against sugar mills

ISLAMABAD: The Commissioners (Appeals) have started deciding tax evasion cases of sugar mills in favour of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for a speedy recovery of tax demands of Rs404.2 billion raised against 50 mills across the country.

Official sources told Business Recorder Thursday that the FBR has started winning cases against sugar mills at the level of Commissioner Appeals.

The field formations of the FBR have issued assessment orders against 50 sugar mills, where mostly units failed to submit complete party-wise detail of sugarcane purchases including Computerised National Identity Card Numbers (CNICs) of the sellers; understated crushing/sugar production and reconciliation of banks statements to substantiate immunity claimed under Section 111 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.

The FBR is strongly pursuing cases against the sugar mills in courts to ensure timely recovery of the said amount.

In one case, the FBR has managed to recover Rs772 million from a sugar mill against whom an assessment order was issued after completion of a forensic audit.

The Commissioner Appeals Lahore has decided the case in favour of the FBR and a similar trend is being observed in different parts of the country.

Notices were issued to all 84 sugar mills, but the final assessment orders of income tax have been issued in cases of 40 mills.

In many cases, the sugar mills were given a deadline of March 31, 2021, to respond to the queries raised in the assessment orders of the tax department.—SOHAIL SARFRAZ