Luxury cars: crackdown on tax evaders

LAHORE:

The excise and taxation department's crackdown on evaders of luxury vehicles' tax entered its second day while the Punjab chief minister rejected the request for a new car for the governor, on Thursday.

The excise and taxation department is having a hard time tracking down defaulters as a majority of luxury vehicles have been acquired on lease through banks.

The defaulters list also includes private banks and companies, such as Sui Northern Gas and the police and anti-narcotics departments.

The departments have leased cars from banks but have not paid taxes.

On the same day, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif rejected the summary for the purchase of a luxury vehicle for Governor Punjab. The summary was rejected in accordance with the policy to cut down non-development expenses.

A spokesman for the Punjab Government said that the provincial government has adopted austerity measures under which all non development expenditures have been reduced.

The spokesman added that vehicles will only be purchased for development purposes.