Punjab cracks down on tax defaulters

Excise & Taxation Department to hold both defaulters, underperforming officers accountable

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LAHORE:

The Punjab Excise & Taxation Department has announced a decisive crackdown on property tax defaulters, as well as officers failing to meet tax recovery targets. According to a press statement released on Friday, Director General Excise & Taxation, Umar Sher Chatha, emphasised that accountability will no longer be limited to tax defaulters alone; rather, the officers responsible for tax collection will also be held accountable for their performance.

The DG Excise & Taxation stated that a comprehensive performance review is underway, and lists of underperforming officers are being compiled. Officers failing to meet their recovery targets will first be issued show-cause notices. If no improvement is seen, their salaries will be deducted, and by the end of the year, they will be removed from their positions, reads the statement.

To achieve the Rs28 billion revenue collection target, the statement adds, the department is implementing stringent measures. The ETO Operations will directly monitor the recovery process to ensure efficiency, transparency, and accountability.

Providing an update on enforcement actions, Umar Sher Chatha shared that in the past 12 days, a total of 12,000 properties in Lahore, defaulting on Rs860 million, have been sealed. Across Punjab, more than 38,000 properties, with outstanding dues of Rs1.5 billion, have been sealed. However, tax recovery efforts have led to the swift de-sealing of properties upon payment. In Lahore, 3,600 properties have been de-sealed after payments of Rs110 million, while across Punjab, 11,000 properties have been restored following recoveries amounting to Rs830 million.

The DG Excise & Taxation issued a stern warning that no officer is authorised to illegally de-seal any property without proper tax payment.