ISLAMABAD, May 24: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) had dismissed reports that the levy of sales tax on medicines was being reviewed.

A CBR spokesman said that neither any committee is presently engaged in an exercise to review this levy nor is there any proposal to reduce the tax rate on medicines.

According to the spokesman as regards the list of essential medicines which have been exempted from sales tax, the same was prepared by

the Ministry of Health in consultation with a committee of experts.

The spokesman also stated that the total value of medicines pending clearance by the importers is only Rs15 million and not several hundred millions as wrongly reported in a section of the press.