Sharjeel wants excise tax system to be online

The Sindh excise department has decided to make the tax system online and connect it to one link, said Senior Minister for Information, Transport, Excise, and Taxation Sharjeel Inam Memon on Saturday.

Memon chaired a high-level meeting of the Excise and Taxation Department. Secretary Excise Saleem Rajput, DG Excise Aurangzeb Panhwar, DG Narcotics Control Usman Ghani Siddiqui, and other officers attended the meeting.

The minister was briefed on the progress regarding the preparation of premium number plates. The meeting decided to issue premium numbers in three different categories; 10 in the platinum category, 11 in the gold category, and 10 in the silver category.

Memon also gathered information regarding property tax, professional tax and other taxes. He issued instructions to the excise and taxation authorities to meet the targets for property tax, professional tax, and other taxes. The senior minister was informed that show-cause notices had been issued to 82 officers of the department for not performing well and failing to achieving the targets.

He directed the suspension of excise employees who were neglecting their duties and ordered other disciplinary actions. Moreover, an online payment system should be implemented to simplify the tax system, he said.

He instructed that the tax system should be swiftly transitioned online and linked with one link for the convenience of the public.

He stated that affixing official number plates on unregistered and private vehicles constitutes a crime. Legislation will be enacted to address this issue, making the use of fake number plates a non-bailable offence punishable with imprisonment for at least one year.