ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has gird up loins to fulfill the revenue shortfall which is almost Rs 60 billion less than the revenue target set for first half of the current fiscal year.
According to statistics available with Customs Today, the FBR had set a revenue collection target of Rs 1,230 billion for the first half of the current fiscal year, however, it could only collect Rs 1,171 billion. The shortfall came in the form of income tax, sales tax and customs duty.
“Feeling the pulse of grim state of affairs, the high-ups of the FBR joined heads to devise a strategy to bridge the gap between the revenue target as well as revenue collection,” a source in the FBR told this scribe. He added that the FBR officials were of the view that the revenue shortfall should be overcome at any cost to secure the prestigious image of the institution as an earning hand of the nation.
The source said that smuggled goods worth Rs 8 to Rs 10 billion usually reached various markets of the Punjab and the other provinces from Afghanistan via Chaman, Kot Abbas and DG Khan and are much in demand in Faisalabad and Lahore.
“As per information collected by the FBR; customs officials and businessmen, the smugglers introduced a contractual system to deliver smuggled goods to the destination, under which the transporters used to carry goods to the destination by charging 200 percent extra fare as compared to routine fare,” the source said.
“In pursuance of given guideline, the Operation Wing has made all-out preparations to meet the objective,” he said, adding that the Anti-Smuggling Unit of the Customs Department had been directed to keep a vigilant eye on the sale of non-customs paid and smuggled products in all markets of the country.
“Secretary Enforcement of the Customs Wing on the directions issued by the Member Customs Nisar Khan has sent instructions to all collectors and chief collectors to alert their field staff to keep an eye on the sale of non-customs paid and smuggled goods in markets felling in their jurisdictions,” the source added.
“These officers are further directed to form a task force to fulfil the objective; to ensure placing a definite check on sale of smuggled goods,” the source observed.
Similarly, in pursuance of the directions, Member Inland Revenue Operations Ashraf and Operations Chief Dr Amir Talpur have instructed all the commissioners of Inland Revenue, regional tax officers and relevant quarters to plug the leakage of revenue,” the source said, adding that these officers had also been provided with a list of big businesses to monitor correspondence and relevance of tax returns filed by them with their lifestyle to find out possible tax evasion or leakage of revenue by them.
Smugglers use trucks to move their consignments. These trucks reach Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore via Chaman, Loralai, Quetta, Kot Mandu, Kot Abbas and DG Khan routes from Afghanistan. Mostly plastic granules, steel coil, chemicals, cloth, dry milk, auto parts and other items are smuggled through these trucks.
