ISLAMABAD: Joint teams of AJK’s excise and taxation department and police have upped their crackdown operation against tax evasion in the cigarette industry of AJK. According to details, over the instructions of the Prime Minister of AJK, the crackdown operation had continued at full pace against the tax-evading cigarette manufacturing factories in the areas of AJK.
In this regard, raids were conducted on warehouses and different offices of National Tobacco Company, Walton Tobacco Company, Chinar Tobacco Company, and Warna Tobacco Company in Mirpur, Bhimber, and Barnala.
In a raid at a warehouse of Watan Tobacco Company under the supervision of DSP HQ Naseer Ahmed along with IRO Inland Muhammad Shakeel, authorities confiscated raw material of cigarettes including 3,230 bags of raw tobacco, 45 cartons of filter paper, 504 cartons of filter rods, and 90 cartons of cigarette brands “Express”, 31 cartons of cigarette brand Hero and 33 cartons of cigarette brand Grace. The authorities later sealed the godown and initiated legal procedures against the owner and the warehouse manager.
In another operation, government authorities raided a warehouse of National Tobacco Company, Bhimber and seized 3,811 cartons of illegal cigarettes and more than 384,000 kgs of raw tobacco.
Similarly, during a raid on the Walton Tobacco Company, Barnala government authorities seized 10 cartons of illegal cigarettes, 10 bags of tobacco to prepare 100 million cigarette sticks and 19 cigarette paper rolls and other related material.
In another operation, authorities raided a house that was taken on rent by the National Tobacco Company. During the raid, the authorities seized 85 cartons of filter rods, 67 cartons of cigarette paper, 17 cartons of illegal cigarettes, 16 cartons of cigarette tape, and 10,000 kgs of raw tobacco and other raw materials.
In a separate raid at Chanar Tobacco Company, Barnala, the authorities confiscated 731 bags of tobacco.
At the moment, AJK tax authorities are losing billions of rupees annually only due to tax evasion in the cigarette sector of AJK. These illegal cigarettes which are manufactured in AJK are smuggled to the various areas of Punjab.
It is interesting to mention that despite the passing of the last final date, the track and trace system had not been implemented in the cigarette factories located in the areas of AJK.
