Manan Mandokhail:
QUETTA: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Balochistan Provincial Assembly has raised serious concerns over a staggering monthly revenue loss of Rs. 580.996 million in the Excise and Taxation Department.
During a review meeting, the committee criticized the department’s failure to meet property tax, motor vehicle tax, provincial excise, and professional tax collection targets for the financial year 2022-23.
The meeting, held in the assembly’s committee room, was attended by key officials, including Assembly Secretary Tahir Shah Kakar, Accountant General Balochistan Nasrullah Jan, DG Audit Shuja Ali, Excise and Taxation Secretary Syed Zafar Ali Bukhari, Additional Secretary PAC Siraj Lehri, Additional Secretary Finance Hafiz Muhammad Qasim, Chief Accounts Officer Syed Muhammad Idrees, and DG Excise Zeeshan Raza.
Budget Discrepancies and Revenue Loss
The PAC noted that out of the Rs. 1,221.526 million allocated for the department’s non-development budget in 2021-22, only Rs. 1,045.634 million was spent, leaving Rs. 175.893 million unutilized. Additionally, the Finance Department provided extra funds in violation of budget rules.
PAC members emphasized that revenue targets should be determined through mutual consultation and formally challenged if deemed unrealistic. The committee directed the Finance, Excise, and Local Government departments to conduct a joint meeting and submit a compliance report.
Uncollected Taxes and Audit Concerns
The committee also examined Rs. 94.726 million in outstanding property tax, unpaid cantonment board revenue shares, and rickshaw road tax collection failures. Despite multiple reminders in 2022, the Excise and Taxation Department failed to recover dues, while the cantonment board had not transferred the mandated 15% share of house and property tax to the provincial government under Presidential Ordinance 13 of 1979.
Call for Immediate Action
The PAC called the failure to achieve revenue targets a “serious offense” and directed the department to ensure immediate tax recovery. The committee also criticized the lack of implementation on previous audit objections and instructed all relevant departments to submit progress reports without delay.
