Smuggling of cigarettes: FBR receives praise from health activists/advocates

ISLAMABAD: In a commendable display of efficiency, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Thursday received praise from health activists/ advocates for their proactive stance against the smuggling of cigarettes.

According to a tweet of the FBR on Thursday, the Directorates of Customs Intelligence in Karachi, Multan, and Peshawar recently conducted separate anti-smuggling operations on June 6- 7, resulting in the seizure of millions of rupees' worth of smuggled cigarettes.

Among the confiscated brands were Dunhill, Pine Mini, Royal Business, Speed Blue, Benson & Hedges, and Inhale.

The cumulative value of the seized cigarettes in these operations amounts to Rs. 79 million, with a total of 1,780,000 cigarettes recovered. These figures contribute to the overall tally for the current fiscal year, which now stands at 39,187,000 cigarettes with a combined worth of Rs. 1.093 billion.

Chairman Asim Ahmad of the FBR and the Director-General of Customs Intelligence expressed their congratulations to the Customs Intelligence teams in Karachi, Multan, and Peshawar for their successful operations. They also expressed their optimism that the momentum of anti-smuggling efforts would be sustained with even greater dedication, FBR’s tweet added.

Health advocates while appreciating the efforts of FBR has at the same time suggested FBR to be conscious of big companies reports where they allegedly revealed inflated data regarding Illicit tobacco to get tax cuts in budgets.

The representative of Capital calling Hassan Shahzad objected that the multinational companies always speak about illicit tobacco sector, however, few confiscated brands belong to their own companies.

The fight against cigarette smuggling requires a multi-pronged approach involving collaboration between government agencies, public support, and strict enforcement of regulations, he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023