Islamabad, JULY 31: Federal Tax Ombudsman, the government’s tax watchdog, has issued a last warning to customs authorities after learning that pricey cell phones that were meant to be destroyed were being sold. No one has been prosecuted despite evidence that customs officials were implicated. Upon discovering that 22 expensive phones, totaling millions of rupees, had disappeared, the tax authorities intervened.
According to a government inquiry, 42 costly iPhones14 of which were Pro Max models were taken into custody at the airport before they vanished. 22 of the phones are reportedly still in use, despite paperwork indicating that all of them were destroyed. These phones are operational, according to confirmation from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
Penalties for customs officers who pilfered high-end phones via the Customs Collectorate and Islamabad Airport have been demanded by the Federal Tax Ombudsman. However, nothing has been done as of yet. The FBR has been directed to take departmental action against the concerned officials by the tax office, which has voiced dissatisfaction.
A final notification has been sent to the Secretary of the Revenue Division, the Member Customs (Operations) of the FBR, and the Collector of the Collectorate of Customs at Islamabad International Airport by Dr. Arslan, the advisor to the Obdusman, in response to this.Officials have been directed by the advisor’s notice to implement their recommendations within the following thirty days. At the conclusion of this time, a progress report is needed.
