A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance was held under the chairmanship of Senator Saleem Mandviwalla at Parliament House today, where it was revealed that 25-30 million liters of oil was smuggled into Pakistan every day with smugglers earning around Rs. 10-12 billion per month from smuggling-related activities through at least five districts of Balochistan.
The committee members took notice of harassment against businesses and also discussed how raids were conducted against traders in Karachi and Lahore. One member said the seized goods are not declared completely and lamented that traders are under-declaring goods worth Rs. 100 million to as low as Rs. 50 million and no cases are being filed against them.
Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Asim Ahmad informed the committee that there is no truth to reports of revenue officers harassing Pashtun businessmen. Regarding smuggling, he said the tax machinery is working with various agencies to curb smuggling, and that many items have been seized at Karachi’s Bolton Market as a result of numerous anti-smuggling operations.
Senator Farooq Naek brought to the committee’s attention that US Dollars were being smuggled to Afghanistan on a large scale and sought an explanation from the Ministry of Finance in this regard. He enquired with the appropriate authorities about the logic behind the regular presence of smuggled items in local markets. Another member advocated for more stringent management of cross-border channels in order to control the flow of goods entering and exiting the country.
The committee was informed that 25-30 million liters of oil is smuggled into Pakistan every day. They were told that individuals/facilitators earned around Rs. 10-12 billion per month from smuggling in Balochistan’s five districts. Members held the government and concerned stakeholders accountable for the smuggling activities.
Minister of State for Finance Aisha Ghaus Pasha said at the meeting that smuggling on a large scale was being facilitated in the country. She stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took important decisions to combat smuggling, including enforcement at border channels, capacity building, and the installation of scanners at borders, among other things.
The committee members also discussed the matter of tax evasion notices sent to business persons by FBR under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. Revenue officials informed the committee that the Tax Tribunal as of Tuesday has ordered to close the matter on priority.
Source: Pro Pakistani