Latest news with #TaxationandNarcoticsControlDepartment
Express Tribune
19-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Tax shortfall prompts excise to step up recovery
At high tax rates, profit margins for sellers decrease, leaving them with options to pass on the burden to consumers, compromise on the quality of products, evade taxes or find cheaper illicit goods. photo: file The Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department has intensified its commercial and domestic property tax recovery campaign in the Rawalpindi zone following a 55 per cent shortfall in property, professional, and luxury tax collections. In a move to accelerate collections, the secretary of excise and taxation has imposed an immediate ban on transfers and leave for excise inspectors and field staff until June 30. Property tax offices will also remain open on weekends throughout the month of June. The director general of excise and taxation has issued strict directives to ensure all tax targets are met by the end of June. Property tax collections in Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, and Jhelum districts are reportedly 5054 per cent below targets, while the newly designated tourist district of Murree, known as Malika Kohsar, has recorded a shortfall of up to 60 per cent. In response, the department has launched a large-scale operation, sealing 126 defaulting property units and recovering a total of Rs2.89 million in outstanding taxes. Seven excise and taxation officers in the Rawalpindi Zone have been served show-cause notices under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (PEEDA) Act for failing to meet recovery targets and may face dismissal.
Express Tribune
03-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
ETOs fail to meet property tax targets
The Rawalpindi Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department has failed to achieve its tax targets for commercial and residential properties, with the Rawalpindi division's property tax shortfall exceeding 55 per cent. Punjab DG Excise and Taxation Muhammad Umer Sher has taken strict notice of the failure to meet the property tax target and has issued show-cause notices to the Excise and Taxation Officers of three zones in Rawalpindi district and a total of 7 ETOs in the districts of Jhelum, Attock, Murree and Chakwal. The department has also initiated strict action under the Punjab Efficiency and Accountability Act (PEDA), which could lead to the termination of the services of the officers who failed to meet the tax targets. This has caused a stir among the officers and field staff, including field inspectors and other employees. The property tax target for Tax Zone 1 under ETO Tahir Mehmood was Rs1220.367 million, but only Rs412.349 million have been collected so far. Similarly in Tax Zone 2 under ETO Waseem Haider, the target was Rs1653.476 million, with Rs470.752 million collected. In Tax Zone 4 ETO under Muhammad Umar Farooq, the target was Rs368.983 million, against which Rs94.884 million has been collected. In Zone 5 under ETO Ahmad Shehbaz, the target was Rs3740.393 million, but only Rs516.153 million were collected. In District Attock under ETO Farrukh Saeed Butt, the tax target was Rs313.956 million, with Rs142.500 million collected. In Jhelum, ETO Muhammad Munawar Hassan's target was Rs374.141 million, against which Rs207.777 million collected. In District Chakwal, ETO Zafar Ishaq's property tax target was Rs278.524 million, with Rs127.101 million collected. In Malka Kohisar District Murree, ETO Gul Sher Khan's target was Rs277.768 million, but only Rs54.487 million were collected. In mid-May, the Director General of Excise Taxation will visit Rawalpindi Division to review the progress toward meeting the targets. Strict departmental action will be taken against all ETOs, Excise Inspectors, and field staff who fail to meet their targets.
