Govt fully cognizant of smuggling issue
FASTER was upgraded to process claims with no export to generate Re1 RPO to allow carry forward of inputs to next month. PHOTO: FILE
With reference to a story published in The Express Tribune titled “How smuggling is bleeding Pakistan’s revenue dry” on November 25, 2020 the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has said that the article used a study of 2018 pertaining to smuggling of goods, the numbers of which have become outdated due to various policy and administrative measures taken by the government. “The federal government is fully cognizant of the issue of smuggling and its negative impact on the economy,” it said. “Therefore, recently, the federal government has introduced national counter smuggling measures.” It said that the figure of around 74% of the mobile phones used in Pakistan being smuggled into the country was factually incorrect. Pakistan Customs in coordination with PTA has introduced DIRBS (Device identification, registration and blocking system) for registration of mobile devices. Now any non-duty paid/ smuggled phones cannot be used in Pakistan without payment of due taxes and registration with PTA, it said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2020.
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