Latest news with #ExciseandTaxation
Business Recorder
19 hours ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Number plates with Ajrak design: only Excise-issued plates are valid, says minister
Sindh's Excise and Taxation minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla has emphasised the necessity of new car and motorcycle number plates, stating that the Safe City Project could not succeed until the security-enhanced number plates issued by the government were fully implemented. Talking to Business Recorder, the minister clarified that only Excise offices could issue the new Ajrak design number plates and those issued by outside agents or shops would not be considered valid. 'So far, we have issued 2 million number plates for vehicles and bikes in Karachi,' the minister said. He explained that Sindh government had first introduced these number plates in 2011 by floating tenders, in which both local and international companies participated. However, certain political parties obtained a stay order, which remained in effect until 2013. After the 2013 elections, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) formed the government in Sindh again, and the process was resumed in 2014. However, another stay order was obtained by political parties, which continued until 2018. Chawla stated that the stay order remained in place until 2021. After that, the provincialngovernment decided not to float new tender but to continue the process on a government-to-government level. Subsequently, the contract for manufacturing the number plates was awarded to NRTC (National Radio & Telecommunication Corporation), which had already worked in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. He added that the work on Safe City Project began in 2018. 'So far, 12,000 cameras under safe city project have been installed.' Chawla stressed that unless vehicles and bikes were registered and properly transferred in the name of the rightful owner, crime in the city could not be effectively controlled. Describing the features of the new number plates, he said the plates included threads in the background, 3D holograms, and barcodes. 'They are also camera-readable, even at night.' He said plates made in the open market did not possess those security features and could not be read by cameras, making them unacceptable under the new system. The minister stated that the Excise Department had launched three different colored number plates: white plates for private vehicles and bikes, yellow plates for commercial vehicles, and green plates for government vehicles. He mentioned that the fee for vehicle number plates—whether government or commercial—was set at Rs2,450, while the fee for bike plates is Rs1,850. Chawla added that the registration process was not limited to cars and bikes but those with trucks and dumpers could also apply He said the Excise Department had integrated its data with the Police and Traffic Police departments. 'Through this data linkage, authorities can determine which vehicles have paid taxes and which have not.' According to conservative estimates, around 5 million vehicles and motorcycles exist in Karachi, many of which are very old or no longer functional. With the implementation of the new system, the Excise Department believes it would have accurate data on the actual number of vehicles. Around 2 million vehicles and bikes had been registered since 2023, and number plates had been issued to their owners, he added. In the first batch, as per data provided by the minister, 800,000 plates were manufactured by NRTC, while in the second batch, 1.2 million plates were produced and delivered. Chawla also revealed that the Excise Department achieved a revenue target of 20 billion rupees in the fiscal year 2025. When asked about the third-party agents or 'agent mafia' active outside Excise offices, Chawla said strict action would be taken against them. He emphasised that the entire process was being conducted under a one-window operation and advised the public to directly approach Excise offices instead of dealing with agents. Meanwhile, a car owner Muhammad Danish told Business Recorder that he had paid an agent Rs10,000 to get his car registered, and he had received the number plate within a month. Sohail Khan, a bike owner, said he had applied for a number plate three months ago but hasn't received as yet, despite several visits to the Excise office. Another Motorcycle rider Muhammad Faiz Ahmed said he had a duplicate number plate made from the market and was managing with it. He expressed his lack of trust in the system, saying he believed deadlines would continue to be extended and things would remain the same. Earlier this week, leaders of the All Pakistan Organisation of Small Traders and Cottage Industries Karachi urged the Chief Justice of Sindh to take suo motu notice of what they term a 'broad daylight robbery' of Rs8 billion, being extracted from Karachi's citizens and traders under the pretext of replacing motorcycle number plates with newly designed Ajrak-themed ones. 'The new number plate campaign has turned into an excuse for bribery and exploitation by police,' they said in a joint statement.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Excise dept yet to prepare tax bills
Despite the start of the new financial year 2025-26, the Rawalpindi Excise, Taxation & Narcotics Control Department has yet to prepare the commercial and residential property tax bills. The department has linked various property types to the government-assessed property prices set by the deputy commissioners in different areas. As a result, the commercial and domestic property tax rates across Rawalpindi Division and other cities in Punjab have increased by 10-25pc. Deputy commissioners of Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Murree, Talagang, and Jhelum have raised the official property prices in their respective areas. However, the updated data has yet to be uploaded to the Excise Department's tax app, and the department has not received a hard copy of the data. Furthermore, the department's online system has been facing continuous technical issues. Despite the passage of the first ten days of the new financial year, no new property tax bills have been issued. The Director of Excise and Taxation, Rawalpindi, confirmed that new property tax bills will begin to be issued by the end of July. Taxpayers will receive notices to pay their property tax without any penalty by September 30. If the tax is not paid by October 1, operations will be carried out against defaulters, and properties will be sold. This year, property tax bills will also be sent via WhatsApp, and recipients will be required to confirm receipt. Even after confirmation, if the tax is not paid, the property will be seized.
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Gujranwala tops Punjab in tax recovery
The Excise, Taxation, and Narcotics Control Department Gujranwala has achieved the highest tax recovery among all districts of Punjab during the fiscal year 2024-25. Against a target of Rs3.66 billion, the department collected over Rs4.52 billion, surpassing its goal by a significant margin, according to officials. The offcials said the performance was made possible through a strategy led by Director Excise and Taxation Sobia Malik to keep all departmental teams on alert throughout the year. Major contributions came from the motor vehicle tax, property tax, professional tax, and excise duty sectors. During the year, the department collected Rs2.39 billion in motor vehicle tax, exceeding the target of Rs .87 billion. In the property tax category, collections reached Rs1.5 billion, while professional tax collections stood at Rs955.2 million. Other recoveries included Rs510.3 million from the "on highway" category, Rs104.9 million from high-value residential properties, and Rs60.5 million through excise duty. Director Sobia Malik said that the tax targets have been raised in the current fiscal year. She emphasized the department's commitment to achieving higher targets. She termed exceptional the performance of the teams involved in motor vehicle and property tax collections.
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Business Standard
01-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Punjab registers record 44% growth in net GST collections in June
The net GST collection last month stood at Rs 2,379.90 crore, reflecting a revenue growth of Rs 732.21 crore over the Rs 1,647.69 crore collected in June 2024 Press Trust of India Chandigarh Punjab registered a record 44.44 per cent growth in net goods and services tax collections at Rs 2,379.90 crore in June 2025, said Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Tuesday. Addressing the media here, Cheema said Punjab outpaced the national average in GST collection growth, firmly positioning itself among the top-performing states in tax mobilization despite facing national and geopolitical challenges, including border-related tensions. The net GST collection last month stood at Rs 2,379.90 crore, reflecting a revenue growth of Rs 732.21 crore over the Rs 1,647.69 crore collected in June 2024. This follows the monthly net growth trends of 15.35 per cent in April and 24.59 per cent in May. The net GST collection during the first quarter of 2025-26 reached Rs 6,830.40 crore, even amidst the military conflict between India and Pakistan in May, compared to Rs 5,377.75 crore in the first quarter of 2024-25. This represents a growth rate more than four times the 6.41 per cent growth rate registered during the first quarter of 2024-25. Cheema was accompanied by Secretary (Taxation) Ajit Balaji Joshi and Excise and Taxation Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal. On this occasion, Cheema facilitated top five taxpayers of the state for their contribution to the state's economic growth. Cheema also hit out at the previous SAD-BJP and Congress-led governments, citing their "failure" to check tax evasion and improve the state's fiscal health. He asserted that the Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government has ensured consistent month-on-month and year-on-year growth. He noted a GST collection growth rate of 16.25 per cent in 2022-23, 15.51 per cent in 2023-24, and 12.84 per cent in 2024-25, registering a total collection of Rs 62,733 crore in three years. In contrast, during the Congress regime from 2018-19 to 2021-22, the state merely collected Rs 55,146 crore. Similarly, during the SAD-BJP regime, the state witnessed only 4.57 per cent and 2.67 per cent growth in tax collections during 2014-15 and 2015-16, respectively. "The AAP government has already collected more in three years than the Congress government collected in its entire five years," said Cheema. The finance minister further stated that the previous Congress-led state government heavily relied on compensation amounting to Rs 30,070 crore without any future plan for state revenues. "On the contrary, we enhanced field enforcement, targeted data-driven inspections, and improved taxpayer compliance to reduce tax evasion and safeguard the state's financial stability," he added. Revealing details of recent enforcement activities, the minister highlighted that the State Intelligence and Preventive Unit (SIPU) uncovered a GST fraud syndicate run by an accountant who created and operated 20 fake firms for bogus billing and ITC fraud. Preliminary investigations uncovered fraudulent transactions amounting to Rs 866.67 crore, leading to a tax evasion of Rs 157.22 crore. Additionally, the department uncovered a massive GST evasion involving a Chandigarh-based firm registered as a transporter for its involvement in bogus e-way bill generation and transportation of unaccounted goods amounting to Rs 168 crore, involving a cumulative tax liability of Rs 30.66 crore. Replying to a query on taking more debt, the finance minister said the state has to make an interest payments of Rs 25,000 crore and principal payments of Rs 18,200 crore on legacy debt, availed by the previous SAD-BJP and Congress led state governments, in 2025-26, while planning to borrow Rs 49,900 crore, despite Rs 13,000 crore in deductions by the Government of India. He stated that the state government plans to borrow Rs 8,500 crore to meet the redemption obligations of over Rs 3,500 crore for legacy debt in the second quarter of the current financial year alone. Cheema said Punjab's fiscal management is on a strong footing, with the state government taking proactive steps to manage its debt obligations. He highlighted that the Punjab government recently invested Rs 1,000 crore each in the Guarantee Redemption Fund (GRF) and Consolidated Sinking Fund (CSF), with the latter now exceeding Rs 10,000 crore, a significant increase from Rs 3,000 crore when the current government took office. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Punjab unearths Rs 1,549-cr billing scam, Ludhiana leads with Rs 900 cr fake invoices
Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced on Monday that the investigative wings of the state's Taxation Department detected transactions worth Rs 1,549 crore involving bogus billing or paper transactions and successfully blocked fraudulent Input Tax Credit (ITC) claims amounting to Rs 108.79 crore in the current fiscal. Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan here, Cheema provided details on the enforcement actions undertaken by the state Taxation Department. 'The department blocked an ITC worth Rs 21 crore by exposing fake invoices of Rs 900 crore in gold transactions in Ludhiana. Additionally, ITC worth Rs 12 crore was blocked after detecting fraudulent invoices amounting to Rs 226 crore in coal transactions across Mohali, Kharar and Kotkapura. Further enforcement actions led to the blocking of ITC worth Rs 75.79 crore by uncovering bogus transactions totalling Rs 423 crore in Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh. In another major seizure, authorities intercepted a vehicle travelling from Ranchi to Ludhiana carrying 2 kg of gold without an invoice, and the investigation into this case is currently ongoing,' he divulged. Emphasising the significance of these enforcement actions, the minister highlighted the landmark statewide operation conducted on May 19. 'As part of the operation, 195 GST-registered firms, including 156 centrally registered firms and 39 state-registered firms, were physically verified, revealing fraudulent paper transactions amounting to Rs 423 crore and resulting in the blocking of ITC worth Rs 75.79 crore. A majority of the implicated firms were located in Ludhiana (100 firms) and Mandi Gobindgarh (72 firms).' Cheema said the department made notable arrests, including a high-profile case where an individual was apprehended for masterminding a racket involving fake invoicing and fraudulent ITC claims worth Rs 29.50 crore. The firm in question had made inward supplies of Rs 163 crore in 2023-24 and 2024-25 from over 60 bogus and cancelled firms, he said. The minister owed this success in carrying out these enforcement drives to the 15 modules developed under an agreement with IIT, Hyderabad, along with crucial inputs from the 'Bill Liyao Inaam Pao' scheme. Cheema announced that seven more such modules would be activated soon. 'So far, 4,880 consumers have collectively won Rs 2,89,15,295 by uploading their purchase bills on the 'Mera Bill' app. Meanwhile, discrepancies found in submitted bills under the GST Acts led to the imposition of penalties totalling Rs 9,07,06,102 and the successful recovery of Rs 7,20,92,230, he said. On GST collections, the minister said the AAP-led Punjab government collected Rs 62,733 crore in three years compared to Rs 63,042 crore collected by the Congress-led state government over five years. 'These figures speak for themselves,' Cheema said. He said that while the AAP government fostered trade growth and implemented stringent checks against tax evaders, previous administrations focused solely on amassing wealth for themselves. Taking a firm stance against opposition parties, Cheema criticised the Congress, the BJP, and the Akali Dal for their unfounded claims against the government's enforcement activities. 'These parties colluded with tax evaders in the past to siphon off the hard-earned money of honest taxpayers. Now that the government has tightened its grip on tax evasion, these parties are desperately trying to shield their allies from scrutiny,' he added.
