Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed for installation of trace and track system in all the cigarette manufacturing units of the country within next two weeks to control tax evasion.
The prime minister also directed for installation of automatic track and trace system in all the big sectors of the country, besides, formulation of a comprehensive strategy for supplementing of revenue generation. He chaired a meeting to review installation of track and trace system in cigarette manufacturing industry, points of sales and broadening of overall tax volume, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
During the meeting, the prime minister also directed the law enforcement agencies to provide all possible cooperation to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to control smuggling and illegal sale of cigarettes. He also directed for fixing of responsibility against the relevant authorities for their failure to install auto track and trace system on sugar mills and sought an inquiry report in this regard.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah, Minister for Industries and Production Makhdoom Murtaza Mehmood, Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarrar, PM’s advisor Ahad Khan Cheema, PM’s Special Assistants Jahanzaib Khan, Tariq Pasha and other senior officials. The meeting was apprised in detail of the track and trace system. The system was installed in majority of the cigarette manufacturing units while the installation work was in progress on the remaining ones.
The negotiations for installation of the system in the cigarette manufacturing units in Azad Jammu Kashmir were in the final stages. The meeting was further informed about the steps taken by FBR to control smuggling and illegal sale of cigarette. The prime minister opined that tenure posting of officers with good repute should be made on border crossings.
The prime minister was apprised that FBR had brought 0.7 million new tax payers under the tax net and taking further steps to meet its targets in the current year. The prime minister stressed that tax evaders and their agents should be brought to book because those elements who embezzled wealth of the country and nation did not deserve any leniency. He also desired that the legal and judicial proceedings over the tax collection matters should be expedited.
To a pace of progress on the installation of track and trace system in sugar mills, the prime minister expressed his displeasure and directed that services of the internationally reputed entities should be hired for the installation of latest technology-based track and trace system in all big sectors of the economy. He observed that with these measures, the economic documentation process would be further improved, enhancing country’s revenues. The prime minister also sought a report within two weeks over the positive steps in this regard.
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