ISLAMABAD: A special team of Customs Intelligence and Investigations (I&I) constituted by Director General Shaukat Ali detected a very significant case of duty/taxes evasion by M/s Baig Enterprises, Islamabad and M/s Baig Brothers, Rawalpindi.
The companies are allegedly involved in violation of import restriction on imported transit mixers, subsequently unlawfully converted into trucks and evaded taxes and duties amounting to Rs486.5 million.
According to the details, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Multan team intercepted a Hino truck, Model 1997, having chassis number FD3HLA-31900 from the possession of Liaqat Hussain son of Ghulam Abbas. Later on, the owner of the truck presented GD No. KEAP-HC-12518 showing the import/clearance of the vehicle by the company as concrete transit mixer truck by way of availing the benefit of the paragraph 9(ii)(5) of the Import Policy Order, 2013 where under only the construction companies, mining, oil, gas and petroleum sector companies can import, interalia, transit mixtures.
As the violation of the Import Policy Order, 2013 was established, the vehicle was impounded and the case was forwarded to the adjudicating authority concerned and the Hino truck was subsequently confiscated by the adjudicating authority in favour of the state.
In consequence, a thorough investigation was initiated and necessary import data was retrieved in respect of import of concrete mixers (HS Code 8705.4000). Scrutiny thereof revealed that the companies had previously imported 851 used concrete transit during the period 2013 to 2016.
During the inquiry, the owners had failed to provide any proof/evidence regarding lawful use of the imported concrete mixers. Clearly, all of them had been unlawfully converted into trucks and sold in the open market in utter violation of the import restriction besides non-payment of duty/taxes.
The amount of duty/taxes evaded by the above-mentioned companies touched to Rs486.5 million. The requisite contravention reports have been sent to the relevant adjudicating authorities and a broad-spectrum investigation is currently in progress.
