MULTAN - The Punjab Excise and Taxation Secretary Capt (r) Zahid Saeed disclosed on Monday that the tax recovery target for the department for ongoing financial year was set at Rs18.8 billion and 40 per cent of the target will be achieved by the end of September.Talking to journalists here at local excise office, he added that the Punjab government had launched a lifetime token scheme for vehicles up to 1000 cc to ensure tax recovery targets. He further revealed that new units were being brought into tax net through renewed assessment campaign. “We hope that the tax recovery will go high after this step,” he added.To a query on delay in issuance of number plates, he said that case was in the court against the company responsible for the delay. He told the journalists that the issuance of 2.40 lac number plates was pending while one lac plates were issued. He hoped that another 1.40 lac plates would be received next month.He said that his Multan visit was targeted to boost tax recovery, ensure achievement of recovery targets and review the performance of the staff. He disclosed that the ETOs and ATOs would also be included on reward category on good performance as constables and inspectors were already being given the cash prizes. He claimed that the workers of excise department were offered raise in their salaries every year while steps were being taken to give them promotions.  He revealed that 700 new officials would be recruited soon while a proposal regarding providing motorbikes to the constables was also under consideration.