ISLAMABAD: Customs officers, including Punjab Excise and Taxation Department and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), have surrendered to take action against all non-custom paid, tampered vehicles, which were allegedly being running in Islamabad for a long time.
In the last 17 years, 22 vehicles have been running in the federal capital Islamabad without permits, token tax and fitness certificates, while no government agency has taken action to date, sources revealed on Sunday.
Sources said seven Mazda trucks of private steel mills, 13 tractors, one pickup and one Suzuki which make a total of 22 vehicles, travel in Islamabad roads without permits, token tax and fitness certificates.
“All these vehicles are cut welds which are not able to run on the roads, yet they are used for transportation. All these vehicles are belonging to the owner of a private steel mill in Islamabad” sources added.
Sources further said the drivers of these vehicles put self-made registration numbers and they changed a new number plate every month. The passing certificate of the vehicles has not been issued to date. The national exchequer has been losing millions in taxes for 17 years in this regard.
Sources said that the vehicle owner has good relations with the President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce; so no agency has taken any action against these vehicles, while the Customs Excise Office and the Secretary Transport have not carried out any checking of these vehicles to date, sources added.
The non-collection of taxes from these vehicles in Islamabad is a question mark over the performance of all the concerned agencies. However, the owner of the vehicles Zubair has been earning millions of illegal income from these vehicles for 17 years.
