Illicit cigarette trade, taxes evasion in beverage sector: DG I&I IR constitutes mobile teams

Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation (DG I&I) Inland Revenue (IR) on Monday constituted mobile teams across the country to combat illicit tobacco/cigarette trade and check evasion of sales tax and federal excise duty (FED) in beverage sector.
Sources told Business Recorder that the directorate of intelligence IR has issued a detailed operational and reporting mechanism of the mobile teams to ensure working of such teams as per prescribed powers, jurisdictions and limitations. The agency also wants to adopt a uniform method of operations of the mobile teams on national level.
The agency would keep a constant check on the working of the teams for which they have been made bound to immediately issue incident report to the directorate after carrying out operation or seizure in tobacco or beverage sector. The agency has made it mandatory for mobile teams to proceed only after the approval of Officer In-charge. Similarly, the agency has also strictly directed the mobile teams not to enter into any residential premises.
In pursuance of FBR's strong resolve to combat illicit trade and evasion of Duty/Taxes, Directorate General I & IR has been mandated for nation wide anti-evasion campaign in respect of In-Land Taxes. In order to achieve the desired goals, Mobile Teams have been constituted at Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore, Faisalabad and Karachi.
The mobile teams would be assigned the task to check massive duty/taxes evasion in specific sectors of the economy. The said sectors will be prioritised keeping in view the prevailing trends and volume of evasion. They would have to enforce the tax laws effectively. The mobile teams would provide level playing field to the honest and tax compliant taxpayers. They would be engaged in tracking duty/tax evasion in real terms/on ground.
According to the mandate of mobile teams, the mobile teams would be engaged in combating illicit tobacco/cigarette trade through awareness interface with manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, dealers, stock holders, warehouse operators and retailers engaged in this business. The mobile teams would have the mandate to conduct raids/interceptions of Non-Duty Paid (NDP) tobacco and cigarettes irrespective of the origin, brand and volume. They would have the authority of surveillance of suspected players, GLT units, alternate manufacturing facilities and units producing/selling counterfeit cigarettes.
The mobile teams would have the mandate to search any premises being used for NDP tobacco/cigarette. The mobile teams would be authorised to check duty/tax evasion in beverage sector through mystery shopping to identify NDP brands (irrespective of origin) flooding the local market. Such teams would conduct information-based raids/interceptions against all NDP beverages. They would also detect un-registered active beverage units and have the authority to search any premises being used for NDP beverages. The mobile teams would have the mandate of surveillance of suspected distributors/wholesalers and manufacturing facilities.
Besides, they would be engaged in identification of units producing counterfeit beverages. The mobile teams would have the mandate of interception of unauthorised (out side franchise areas) movement of suspected NDP beverages. Depending upon the urgency and revenue impact, mandate professional scope and number of mobile teams can be restricted or extended by directorate General accordingly.
As per operational and reporting mechanism, the mobile teams shall proceed only after the approval of Officer In-charge. Any action undertaken without the said approval shall be construed as misconduct. A self contained Incident Report shall be filed with the Director concerned on the same day, who would ensure that Directorate General (Camp Office) Lahore and HQs Islamabad are posted with the same.
Sources said that the legal and procedural provisions governing Raids, Seizures, and Sealing etc will be complied with both in letter and spirit. The goods in question will be properly accounted for and be placed under safe and secure custody. For the performance evaluation of mobile teams, sources said that each month, comparative performance of different mobile teams shall be analysed and circulated internally to determine Team of the Month. Exceptional performance will be rewarded with cash prizes, honorarium, and appreciation letters.
All Directorates I&l-IR will ensure complete transparency and fair play in this whole exercise and any un-explained deviation, violation of law or un-called for over-stepping will not be tolerated at the cost of departmental credibility. The complaints in this regard will be addressed by the Directors I&I-IR concerned on priority basis and merit so as to ensure that public in general and taxpayers community in particular keep on reposing their trust in FBR and I&I-IR.
The directorate of intelligence IR has constituted mobile teams at different cities. At Islamabad, Tauqeer Ahmad, Deputy Director would be Officer in-Charge of the mobile team. Khalid Ahmad Khan, Senior Intelligence Officer and Hariq Iqbal, Intelligence Officer would work as members of the team.
In Peshawar, the mobile team would be headed by Muhammad Ayaz, Deputy Director (Officer In charge). Members of team included Sarzameen Khan, Senior Intelligence Officer; Hashmatullah Khan, Senior Intelligence Officer and Niaz Ahmad Khan, Intelligence Inspector.
In Lahore, two mobile teams would be headed by Amir Abbas Khan, Deputy Director (I & I-IR) (Officer In charge). The members of the ream-1 of Lahore included Jamshaid Yousuf, Senior Intelligence Officer (Member); Tariq Ghumman, Intelligence Inspector (Member) and Javed Iqbal, Intelligence Inspector (Member).
The members of second team of Lahore covered Afzal Khan, Senior Intelligence Officer (Member); Chaudhry Akram, Intelligence Officer, (Member) and Nadeem Baig, Intelligence Inspector (Member). The mobile team at Faisalabad would be headed by Shafiullah Khan Niazi, Additional Director (Officer Incharge). Members of the team would Shafiq Anwar, Senior Intelligence Officer (Member); Muhammad Nawaz, Intelligence Officer (Member) and Muhammad Din, Intelligence Inspector (Member).
The mobile teams of Karachi would be headed by Aqeel Ahmed Siddiqui, Additional Director (Officer Incharge). The members of the 'Karachi Team-1' included Rafique-uz-Zaman, Senior Intelligence Officer (Member); Ghulam Hussain Chand, Senior Intelligence Officer (Member) and Muhammad Aslam, Intelligence Inspector (Member). Karachi Team-II would cover Zahid Hussain, Senior Intelligence Officer (Member); Saeed Khan, Intelligence Officer (Member) and Syed Siraj-ul-Hasan, Intelligence Officer (Member).