PESHAWAR, Dec 7: Adjudication collectorate, Peshawar, faced with shortage of funds and staff is, apparently, lacking the capacity to decide sales tax and customs duty evasion cases at a quick pace, according to sources.

At present there was only one adjudication officer of the deputy collector level at Peshawar — responsible to decide cases with each involving duty or tax evasion of up to Rs2.5 million — for the whole of NWFP.

On average basis, over 1,500 cases, comprising large number of customs duty cases in addition to cases of sales tax and central excise duty evasion, are taken up for hearing every month.

Out of about 1,500 cases taken up for hearing in October last, some 595 were decided in NWFP, while remaining were pending due mainly to the shortage of staff, especially the president officer.

The cases taken up for hearing included over 1,000 involving customs duty evasion, 375 pertained to sales tax evasion and some 27 cases pertained to sales tax collectorate.

At the start of October 2001, the sources said, the adjudication collector, Peshawar, had to take up for hearing well over 800 cases, involving total revenue of over Rs175 million. However, apart from these, around 700 new cases were filed, later in the month, by all the three dispensations of the Central Board of Revenue in Peshawar including customs, sales tax and central excise duty.

“Large number of cases decided in October (of the total 595 decided) some 500 pertained to customs duty, apparently, involving not big amount of revenue,” said the official sources.

Trade and business circles complained about the difficulties as a result of slow pace of disposal of cases.

Official sources of the adjudication collectorate, NWFP, when contacted said the CBR had recently posted one more adjudication officer — of the level of deputy collector adjudication — for quick disposal of cases.

However, these official sources complained about the shortage of funds which they term as another factor hampering the quick disposal of cases.

“We need to arrange well over 1,500 envelops and a large sum to meet postage charges to serve notices, every month, to the parties involved in adjudication but the amount we are getting appears to be not sufficient to cater the requirement,” said the official sources requesting anonymity.