Slam the brakes on vehicle amnesty scheme, states TIP

Challenges FBR on false figures, demands immediate inquiry.

ISLAMABAD:

Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has advised the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman not to extend the deadline of the amnesty scheme for smuggled vehicles and initiate an immediate inquiry into the matter.

In a letter available with The Express Tribune, adviser to TIP Syed Adil Gilani has alleged that the amnesty scheme had been misused for corruption through the connivance of customs officials and thousands of vehicles outside the country, including Afghanistan and the UAE, had been cleared as a result.

The scheme had been launched by the FBR to register a significant amount of the estimated 2.3 million unregistered vehicles in the country. In the first phase, the FBR estimated that the scheme could fetch in additional revenue around Rs15 billion.

Challenging the FBR on announcing false figures of estimated revenue generation, the letter states that “it was announced by FBR that the scheme is expected to generate revenue of Rs12-15 billion and will give an opportunity to register around 2.3 million vehicles, which are already on the road but, according to reported figures, only 10,000 to 12,000 vehicles have so far availed the facility.”

“Even out of these, thousands of vehicles cleared by FBR are not even available in Pakistan.”



Reminding FBR chairman of the strong opposition by local car manufacturers, car dealers and the Competition Commission of Pakistan, TIP has asked the chairman to investigate why the government was misleading people by quoting unrealistic figures to gain approval for the scheme.

In its letter, TIP has also requested Hakeem not to “extend the date of this amnesty, which ended on 31 March 2013, and immediately investigate the allegation of corruption and misuse of the Scheme by individuals with connivance of Customs officers and investigate about the false figures of unregistered 2.3 million vehicles.”

Apart from the FBR chairman, the letter has also been copied to the personal secretary of the prime minister and National Accountability

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2013.