Pakistani netizens are protesting on social media against the Pakistan government for providing tax exemptions on the import of bullet-proof vehicles by the top brass of military officers, media reports said.
Following the protests, the federal law enforcement agency has yet not issued a notification over the same, Dawn media reported. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Member Customs Policy signed an official notification to this effect here on Friday but it was not yet placed on the law enforcement website, reported The News International.
After getting approval from the federal cabinet, the notification has exempted senior army officers from payment of all duties and taxes on the import of bulletproof vehicles up to 6000cc after their retirement.
The News International confirmed citing top official sources that the exemption of Customs Duty, Sales Tax, Withholding Tax and Federal Excise Duty (FED) would be applicable on the import of bulletproof vehicles up to 6,000cc by the military officers, including Lieutenant Generals, services chiefs, Chief of the Army Staff and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).
However, as per reports, there will be certain conditions attached to this permission including allowing the exemption of duties and taxes on the import of such vehicles by the said officials on their retirement.
Furthermore, the process will only be followed on the recommendations of the Ministry of Defence. All four-star generals have been permitted to import two vehicles after retirement.
Moreover, three-star officers will be able to import one duty-free bulletproof vehicle after retirement, reported Dawn.
For the sale of such vehicles, the owners would be required to obtain prior permission of the law enforcement agency. The notification while quoting relevant sources said that if the vehicle is disposed of before a five-year period, the law enforcement agency will recover all duties and taxes applicable at the time of import of such vehicles.
Another source cited by the media outlet claimed that the decision to allow duty-free bulletproof vehicles was earlier taken by the cabinet in 2019. However, he did not elaborate on why the decision was not implemented even after three years, reported Dawn.