ISLAMABAD, Nov 6: The tax authorities have detected as many as 1,350 units allegedly involved in issuing of bogus sales tax invoices causing a loss of huge amount to the national exchequer annually, reliable sources told Dawn.

The tax authorities have worked out a comprehensive list of these units with details of addressees and other correspondences, which were available at each collectorate of sales tax across the country, said the sources.

The sources said that the list was sent to the trade associations, chambers and unions for intimation that the tax authorities would not accept the invoices of these suspected units for refunds in future.

Of these 1,350 units, the tax authorities dug out 627 units in collectorate of sales tax and central excise, Lahore; 9 units in collectorate of customs, sales tax and central excise, Hyderabad; 205 units in collectorate of sales tax, central excise, Faisalabad; 21 units in collectorate of sales tax, central excise, Rawalpindi and 236 units in collectorate of sales tax, central excise, Gujranwala.

Similarly, the tax authorities detected as many as 19, which were allegedly involved in issuing bogus invoices in the collectorate of sales tax, central excise (West), Karachi; 7 units in the collectorate of sales tax and central excise, Multan; 154 units in the collectorate of sales tax and central excise, Peshawar and 31 units in the collectorate of sales tax, central excise (East), Karachi, respectively.

When contacted a senior official in the sales tax department told Dawn that the list of the units have already been worked out and were sent to each collectorates for necessary action.

He said a drive has also been initiated by the tax official of the each collectorate to dig out the address of other offices that were not traceable.

Elaborating further, the official said that if traceable units, after audit, clear the due amount to the sales tax department, they would be removed from the black list.

The official said that the collectorate would no more have the power to include in or remove any body from the black list From now onward, this kind of decision would be taken by the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) following the recommendation of the collectorate, added the official.

The official said that the introduction of the Sales Tax Refund Repository (STARR) established at Customs House, Lahore, was expected to reduce the issuing of fake invoices.

According to the official, more fake units involved in the business of issuing fake invoices would be detected in the next two to three months, while transferring all the data to computer for analysis.