KARACHI: In order to identify taxpayers involved in fake and flying invoices, a monitoring cell has been established at Corporate Regional Tax Office (CRTO) Karachi.
The cell has been established keeping in view the declining trend in sales tax payments during first quarter (July – September) 2019/2020.
The monitoring cell has been assigned to identify cases involved in fake and flying invoices, fake transactions, sales suppressions and streamline tax mechanism.
Jafar Raza Kazmi, Commissioner Inland Revenue, Zone-IV of the CRTO has been assigned to supervise the monitoring cell.
According to a notification issued on Thursday, the cell would perform the following functions:
— To analyze / monitor sales tax monthly sales tax returns to identify cases where action under Section 38 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 is required to be taken on the basis of abnormalities causing huge decline in sales tax payment etc.
— The cell shall prepare desk audit report showing details of records / data scrutinized discrepancies observed and potential revenue involved.
— After due diligence, the cell shall take action under Section 38 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 against the person as per law and submit the detailed report with impact of revenue to the chief commissioner CRTO Karachi.
The monitoring cell will focus and take such cases for action under Section 38 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, which may yield substantial revenue.
The cell has been strictly advised that action in specific cases should be taken with reasonable interval of time. The exercise should not be made frequently and be restricted to cases involving sizeable revenue leakages.
Section 38: Authorised officers to have access to premises, stocks, accounts and records –
Sub-Section (1) Any officer authorised in this behalf by the Board or the Commissioner shall have free access to business or manufacturing premises, registered office or any other place where any stocks, business records or documents required under this Act are kept or maintained belonging to any registered person or a person liable for registration or whose business activities are covered under this Act or who may be required for any inquiry or investigation in any tax fraud committed by him or his agent or any other person; and such officer may, at any time, inspect the goods, stocks, records, data, documents, correspondence, accounts and statements, utility bills, bank statements, information regarding nature and sources of funds or assets with which his business is financed, and any other records or documents, including those which are required under any of the Federal, Provincial or local laws maintained in any form or mode and may take into his custody such records, statements, diskettes, documents or any part thereof, in original or copies thereof in such form as the authorised officer may deem fit against a signed receipt.
Sub-Section (2): The registered person, his agent or any other person specified in sub-section (1) shall be bound to answer any question or furnish such information or explanation as may be asked by the authorised officer.
(3) The department of’ direct and indirect taxes or any other Government department, local bodies, autonomous bodies, corporations or such other institutions shall supply requisite information and render necessary assistance to the authorised officer in the course of inquiry or investigation under this section.
