ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has intensified its operations against illicit and smuggled cigarettes across the country.
“Tobacco sector is one of the leading sectors of revenue contribution and realizing this significance, FBR has instructed its field formations to gear up their anti-smuggling operations against illicit and smuggled cigarettes,” said a statement.
The Director-General Intelligence and Investigation Inland Revenue (I&IIR) and Director General Intelligence and Investigation Customs (I&I Customs) and collectors have been instructed by the chairman FBR to supervise the operations and ensure that every possible avenue of illicit trade in the tobacco sector be checked so that the huge revenue leakages can be prevented.
The bureau seized 6.7 million cartons of smuggled cigarettes from July 2020 to November 2020 having an approximate value of Rs542 million.
The Inland Revenue Enforcement Network (IREN) was established in September 2019 with a Chief Coordinator, Central Field Coordinator and seven regional enforcement hubs all across Pakistan.
It was tasked to conduct raids and seizures on the counterfeit and non-duty paid cigarettes has seized 35.8 million sticks of cigarettes during the period from July 2020 to November 2020.
The board clarified that despite ongoing health hazards, its teams were making all out efforts to curb the menace of smuggled, counterfeit and non-duty paid cigarettes.
