FBR grants powers to IRS and provincial officers for cigarette seizures

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has authorised Inland Revenue Service (IRS) officers and provincial Revenue and Excise officers, not below the rank of Grade 16, to seize cigarettes found without valid stamps or with fake stamps across the country.

Following the Finance Act of 2025, the FBR issued Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) 1279(2025), which empowers these officers to exercise the functions and powers outlined under the Federal Excise Act, 2005. 

The officers authorized under this new regulation include Deputy Commissioners, Additional Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners, and officers with equivalent designations in provincial revenue departments, as well as Excise and Taxation Officers and Assistant Excise and Taxation Officers.

The new rules apply to the seizure of cigarettes at retail outlets, warehouses, and motor vehicles on the roads.