ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)-Karachi has filed 19 references against people using undeclared (benami) cars.
Sources said the Directorate of Anti-Benami Initiative (Zone-III) has filed 19 references against as many people for keeping Rs150 million worth of undeclared vehicles, including Mercedes-Benz, BMWs, Cadillac Escalade, Toyota Prado, Suzuki Mehrans, Toyota Corollas and Suzuki Cultus.
“The benamidars were never registered with FBR nor did they ever filed income tax returns. Interestingly, these people resided in poor localities of different areas of the country, thus cementing the notion that the real owners of these vehicles were somewhere else or that they have misused the CNICs of others,” said a source privy to this development.
In addition, sources said that most of the undeclared vehicles were imported and neither the excise department nor customs’ authorities had any data of these vehicles. So, the department found most of the people denying the ownership of vehicles and also not sharing the specific details with regard to the purchasing of vehicles, implicating that the property was a result of benami transactions.
It is pertinent to mention that the department had also given an advertisement of these vehicles in newspapers so that the owner could approach the department. But no one contacted the department in given time.
Earlier, the FBR had also investigated cases where the showroom owners had misused the CNICs of people for registration of expensive vehicles.
