ISLAMABAD, 10 July — Authorities yesterday put the squeeze on more than 100 businessmen playing truant with tax officials and forbade them from making any business or pleasure trips abroad. The measure came within hours of an official announcement that travel curbs on hundreds of other people would be lifted.
The much-dreaded exit control list has been revised yet again by officials and this time round it includes the names of 130 tax-dodging businessmen. Each of these businessmen owes the government in excess of 10 million rupees and for that indiscretion they have been barred from travel abroad. Their common offense is sales tax evasion but some among them have withheld income tax as well.
Security agents manning the country’s exit points have already been alerted about these tax evaders. In a departure from its previous stand the government is now ready to cross out the names of those appearing on the exit control list who agree to pay their taxes in dribbles during a financial year. Previously the government had lifted travel curbs only after the whole amount of tax arrears had been paid.
The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has already communicated to the Interior Ministry the list of prospective defaulters and that is why the final list is being rushed to airports and other exit routes so that the defaulters do not manage to flee. The final list will be handed over to Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider by revenue officials today.
The decision to offer tax defaulters a package for payment in instalments has been introduced in view of the past when those facing evasion charges on 1 million to 5 million rupees did not attempt to escape from the country. In fact, it was those who defaulted on tax amounts of more than 5 million rupees who scrambled to get out of the country. Last month the authorities reviewed a list of about 2,000 people currently on the ECL following complaints by airport officials that they could not keep watch over such a large number.
