Pakistan, Jan. 20 -- The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been 'delaying' installation and implementation of track and trace system (TTS) to curb illicit tobacco trade in Pakistan as illegal tobacco products continue to pour in the country.
The tobacco products include undeclared local production, smuggling of tobacco products of foreign brands and counterfeit production.
The tobacco sector in Pakistan contributed significant revenue to FBR in 2018-19 amounting to Rs117 billion (Rs 90.854 billion FED and Rs26.147 billion sales tax).
A study conducted by Oxford Economics put Pakistan as Asia's largest illicit cigarettes market causing on average loss of Rs44 bn per annum in unpaid taxes and duties during the past five years. The primary...