The embezzlement of funds worth Rs 270 million has been unearthed in the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department, says an audit report of 2014.
According to a report of Online, Rs 139 had been embezzled in the head of property tax in 2014. This embezzlement was committed in the tax offices of Multan, Rawalpindi and Jhelum. The Excise Department Secretary had not collected funds of Rs 25 million by not issuing notices to the parties.
“As many as Rs17 million have not been collected as professional tax from 2,375 individuals of the province. The Punjab Excise Secretary has not collected Rs 15 million as property tax while facilitating his blue-eyed and corruption was committed of Rs14 million in the head of hotel tax,” the audit report added.
Despite withdrawal of court stay order, property tax worth Rs12 million was not collected while Rs 9 million were given tax relief to non-deserving people by declaring them widows.
The audit report further revealed that toll tax worth Rs10 million has not been collected from the owners of the vehicles while penalties worth Rs 8 million have not been collected from the mill owners. Similarly Rs7 million has not been collected in the head of commercial tax from vehicles.
Property mafia has been given benefit of Rs 5 million through wrong estimation, audit report added. “Tax relief of worth Rs 3 million was given for the establishment of five-marla schemes. Similarly property mafia was given benefit of Rs 4 million in the name of five-marla scheme,” the audit report added and maintained that fraud of Rs5 million was committed in the name of illegal registration of vehicles in Multan and mega corruption was done for issuing the permit. When Online contacted Excise Secretary Ali Tahir, he did not respond.
