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CBR chalks out plan for seizure of smuggled vehicles

SOHAIL SARFRAZ

ISLAMABAD: The Central Board of Revenue has to seek anti-smuggling agencies help for the confiscation of non-duty paid vehicles plying in the country, it was learnt.

According to the new strategy formulated by the senior CBR officials and Ministry of Interior, the main routes of smuggling would be tightened at Attock, Peshawar, Khushalgarh, Chashma Barrage, Rakhni, Dera Murad Jamali and Utthal. The government would ensure plugging the smuggling routes at the international borders.

The CBR and Ministry of Interior have identified border routes through which smuggling of vehicles from Afghanistan, China, Iran and India is taking place.

The CBR has particularly focused on the role of informers in this regard. Informers would be cultivated at bargain centers, show rooms, registration offices and other suspected areas for seizure of smuggled vehicles.

All anti-smuggling agencies including Frontier Corps, Rangers and other armed forces would keep close liaison with each other for sharing information about non-duty paid smuggled vehicles.

As per new formula, anti-smuggling agencies would coordinate "information collecting networks" throughout the country.

In order to obviate the possibility of registration of non-duty paid smuggled vehicles, the provincial excise and taxation departments should make the necessary entries mandatory as proof of payment of duty and taxes in the registration books. These entries include number and date of customs bill of entry along with customs station in cases of imported vehicles. Number and date of Customs Collectorate's NOC in cases of regularised as well as auctioned vehicles. In case of local manufactured vehicles, the number and date of sales tax invoice.

All the Customs Collectors have been directed by the CBR to strictly check the smuggled vehicles in their respective Collectorates.