AJK Police, E&T intensify crackdown on tax-evading cigarette firms

ISLAMABAD: Joint teams of AJK’s Excise and Taxation (E&T) Department and police have intensified the crackdown operation on tax evasion in the cigarette industry of AJK.

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 the 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 for cigarettes including 3,230 bags of raw tobacco, 45 cartons of filter paper, 504 cartons of filter rod, 90 cartons of cigarette brand 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, authorities raided the 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, 10,000 kgs of raw tobacco and other raw material.

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.