ePay Punjab to eliminate corruption in tax system: Leghari

LAHORE: Finance Minister Sardar Mohsin Khan Leghari on Tuesday said that ePay Punjab under the finance department is being linked to the federal government’s instant payments system Raast to easily transfer provincial collections to State Bank.

The revenue transfer through Raast would play an important role in the promotion of the digital economy with transparency in the collection system. In the near future, payments through Visa, MasterCard and UnionPay International will also be possible on ePay Punjab and more accounts would also be added to ePay Punjab.

During a briefing on ePay Punjab in the regular review meeting at the finance department, the minister said that ePay Punjab is a revolutionary initiative of the provincial government to eliminate corruption in the tax system.

Elimination of malpractices in the tax system will ensure an increase in the resources of the province, he noted.

If people's trust in government institutions is restored, tax collections will also increase. Institutions should also ensure the delivery of services to improve collections, he added.

Project Director ePay Punjab said that online payments of more than 22 receipts of ten government departments through ePay Punjab were started on October 4, 2019, for transparency in the tax system under the finance department and ease of doing business. So far, 23 million transactions and more than 128 million receipts have been done through the said application, he added and noted that the application's annual success graph is showing more improvement than before.

The finance department has taken approval from the cabinet for collaboration of ePay Punjab with Raast and an MoU would be signed with the State Bank for linking ePay Punjab with Raast, he added.