The Federal Board of Revenue has expanded the list of notified smuggled items by including all brands of cigarettes in SRO 566(I)/2005, empowering the customs department not to release smuggled cigarettes on payment of redemption fine during adjudication process. In this connection, the FBR has issued a notification here on Saturday.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Saturday that the FBR has amended SRO 566(I)/2005 through a notification to include cigarettes in the list of the smuggled items. The SRO 566(I)/2005 covers list of items which have been declared as smuggled items, including auto parts of all sorts, alcoholic drinks all sorts, fertilisers, firecrackers, antiques, arms and ammunition, acetic anhydride acid, CDs or recording on any other media, CFC gas based refrigerators, deep-freezers and other refrigerating cooling and chilling equipment as included in the Trade Policy in force, currency, counterfeit coins, forged or counterfeit currency notes, and any other counterfeit product, edible oils, all sorts, including hydrogenated vegetable oil and other items notified in the said notification.
Sources said that the SRO 566(I)/2005 has been amended to include cigarettes in the list of the smuggled items. Through amendment in the 566(I)/2005, the customs officials would be empowered to declare smuggling of cigarettes as criminal offence, and confiscated cigarettes would not be released on payment of redemption fine.