The process of awarding the contract for track and trace system is still going on
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan in his tweet praised the Federal Board of Revenue for “acquiring” a digital track and trace system to curb tax evasion.
In a tweet yesterday (Saturday), Imran Khan said, “The FBR head office tech is commendable for developing an IT-dependent transformation plan and achieving the latest track and trace system.”
The Prime Minister further said that after becoming fully operational in July 2021, this system would generate additional revenue of hundreds of billions of rupees and would prevent forgery and establish the rule of law. The Prime Minister also congratulated the FBR on achieving its tax revenue target for 7 months.
The Prime Minister has praised the FBR, but the fact is that the work of the FBR is still incomplete. The FBR has not yet awarded a contract for the track and trace system to any company. The reason for this is the ongoing controversy over the bidding process due to which this contract worth Rs 25 billion has not been awarded to anyone yet.
The PTI government has twice tried to curb tax evasion in the tobacco, cement, fertilizer and sugar sectors. In the second attempt, bids (bids) for the Track and Trace System were opened on February 1 in which AJCL Pvt. Ltd. emerged as the first candidate, however, the company’s bid was 52% from the lowest bidder. It was expensive. The bid difference between the two companies was Rs 259 per thousand stamps. At least 3 parties have challenged the bidding process in the committee and these parties are being heard these days.
The Prime Minister’s tweet could affect the ongoing process of resolving the dispute as the committee has not yet listened to all parties. An FBR spokesman confirmed that the contracting process was still ongoing.
Replying to a question, Syed Nadeem Rizvi said that letters have been issued for negotiations after which the contract will be signed.