ISLAMABAD, May 22: The government has imposed ban on posting and transfers of tax officials till June 30 in the wake of preparations for the budget 2008-09.

Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Information Secretary Hafeez Mughal said in a statement that the decision would help the revenue budget makers to pay full attention to complete the budget exercise well in time.

He said the decision will be applicable to the FBR head office and all its field offices as the preparations for the budget are in full swing.

Meanwhile, through a customs notification SRO 474 of 2008 the government has allowed exemption of whole of customs duty and sales tax on import of plant, machinery, equipment and specific items used in production of bio-diesel.

The decision was earlier taken by the Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet on a summary tabled by the ministry of water and power regarding use of bio-diesel as an alternative fuel.

The exemption will be subject to the Alternative Energy Development Board’s certification in the prescribed manner and the format as per annex-B that the imported goods are bona fide project requirement.

The goods shall not be sold or otherwise disposed of within a period of five years of their import except with the prior approval of the FBR and payment of customs duties and taxes leviable at the time of import.

Through another sales tax notification SRO 471 of 2008 the government has exempted sales tax on packaged edible fruits whether fresh, frozen or otherwise preserved but excluding those bottled or canned; and packaged edible vegetables, including roots and tubers, whether fresh, frozen or otherwise preserved but excluding those bottled or canned.

Fruits and vegetable are already exempted from payment of sales tax under sixth schedule of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, but this exemption is not available to the fruits and vegetables, which are bottled, canned or packaged.