The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has increased crackdowns on non-duty/ counterfeit cigarettes, confiscating cigarettes worth millions of rupees.

Directorate I&IER Faisalabad, in the light of instructions from FBR Headquarters and DG Intelligence I&I, expedited the crackdown on tax evasion in the Tobacco Department. The department recovered 300 cartons (3 million cigarettes) of different brands without any duty paid from various parts in Faisalabad.

The Tobacco Squad under the supervision of Deputy Director Imran Zafar, using its powers under Section 38 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, visited a warehouse of a registered person located at Lari Ada, from where 150 cartons of counterfeit / non-duty cigarettes were recovered.

When the owner was required to provide a sales tax invoice/bill of lending and other documents, he failed to produce any of them and on this basis, 150 cartons of cigarettes were taken into custody.

In another operation, the Tobacco Squad of Intelligence and Investigation Faisalabad on a tip-off raided the Deputy Interchange, M3 Motorway, Faisalabad and recovered 150 cartons of non-duty cigarettes from a makeshift shed set up about half a kilometer away from the interchange

There were two persons present on the spot who failed to produce any document like sales tax invoice or bill etc. on which these cigarettes were seized.

The operations are being carried out by the Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation (Inland Revenue), Faisalabad as part of a drive to curb the illegal trade of non-duty / counterfeit cigarettes.