Cigarette smuggling causing over Rs 7b loss annually

Smuggling of cigarettes of different brands and tax evasion causes a loss over Rs 7 billion to the national exchequer annually, documents reveal. The Pakistan Tobacco Company and Federal Board of Revenue have failed to curb smuggling of cigarettes into the country. Documents available with Daily Times reveal that about 20 percent of the cigarettes consumed in the country are smuggled. On the other side, the local cigarette