ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has stopped public auction of foreign origin smuggled cigarettes as those goods do not comply with the national health regulations.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the FBR clarified that the auction of confiscated smuggled cigarettes of foreign origin have been stopped which were earlier decided to hold by field formations.
The decision to stop the auction of confiscated cigarettes of foreign origin has been taken as the packing of the aforementioned cigarettes do not comply with the national health regulations, FBR added.
As per conditions imposed by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, warning of serious health hazards must be printed both graphically as well as textually in Urdu language for bewaring the general public as laid down in SROs 127(KE)/2017 & 128(KE)/2017 both dated 19-12-2017 and SRO DE/2019 dated 22-1-2019.
In order to avoid carrying out any inadvertent act or procedure that is inconsistent with the national health laws and regulations, confiscated cigarettes of foreign origin have been excluded from the public auction through an amendment issued vide notification N. SRO 638(I)/2020 dated 23-7-2020 in the relevant provisions of the Customs Rules, 2001 (Rule 58(3) in Chapter V).
FBR further added that the confiscated cigarettes shall not be put to auction and shall be destroyed in the manner as prescribed by Board.
