ISLAMABAD: The government has generated Rs 69 billion from sales tax and customs duty on petroleum products in the first four months of the current financial year, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) told a special committee of the Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday.
The FBR told the PAC III, which was chaired by Riaz Pirzada, that the tax earnings increased by Rs 30 billion in the same period. “Rs 428 billion have been received under pure taxes in the same period,” the FBR said. The FBR officials also told the committee that the policy regarding sale of seized goods had been revised.
“Under the new policy, confiscated weapons will be sold to government institutes only and other general items are be sold through Utility and CSD stores,” FBR officials said. Pirzada said there were systemic flaws in the adjudication departments which needed to be addressed. While settling an audit objection pointed out in the Audit Report 1997-98 of the FBR that indicated a blockade of revenue due to non-adjudication of contravention cases amounting to Rs 991.798 million,
Pirzada directed the FBR to expedite adjudication for the remaining amount. During the meeting, Pirzada said he had authentic information that some government functionaries were still using six to nine cars. “Some bureaucrats ridicule PAC directions soon after they leave the committee room,” he added.
He said despite clear instruction by the PAC, some of the departments were reluctant to submit comprehensive reports about government vehicles in their use. Separately, another PAC special committee, which met with Khawaja Asif in the chair,
granted four more days to auto manufacturers and venders to come up with some proposals on how to reduce prices of cars and tractors. Asif warned the auto industry to indigenise 100 percent under deletion programme if they wanted 100 percent protection from government.
