PAC quizzes Excise over missing records

K-P committee orders inquiry into delayed vehicle data, tobacco cess recovery

PESHAWAR:

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has expressed strong displeasure over the Excise and Taxation Department's failure to submit details regarding vehicles under its ownership and those seized in legal cases. The committee has ordered a formal inquiry and directed that responsibility be fixed. Additionally, it instructed the recovery of Rs187 million from a contractor under the head of tobacco cess.

The PAC meeting, chaired by Idris Khattak, was held Tuesday and attended by committee members and officials from various government departments. During the session, the audit officer reported that in the fiscal year 2017-18, the Excise Department was asked to provide information on the number of vehicles in its possession, how many were auctioned, and how many were allocated to other departments. However, the department failed to submit the required records.

Secretary Excise Khalid Ilyas stated that under the law, seized vehicles are considered case property and not public assets. At the time, there was ambiguity regarding the status of these vehicles. He added that records were eventually shared in July 2021, based on advice from the Finance Department.

Chairman Idris Khattak questioned the legality of providing the records four years later and only after consulting the Finance Department. The law officer commented that once the audit demanded the records, the department was obligated to comply and should have at least presented the matter before the Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC).

MPA Mushtaq Ghani suggested that the delay indicated potential issues with the records. In response, the Secretary Excise explained that part of the problem was the lack of clear tracking for seized vehicles—some are reclaimed by courts, while cases for others are closed.