Sindh moves to bring life, health insurance under sales tax net

SBR told to achieve Rs78bn tax collection target, simplify procedures

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) to take the necessary measures to bring the insurance services into the sales tax net.

He issued the directive  while presiding over a meeting with  SRB Chairman Khalid Mahmood at the CM House on Tuesday. Finance Secretary Hassan Naqvi was also present.

The CM discussed various issues regarding the SRB and the Sales Tax on Services, including the sales tax on the services of life insurance, health insurance, restaurants, etc. 

Appreciating the performance of the SRB, the chief minister emphasised the need for making relentless efforts to achieve the assigned target of Rs78 billion for the current financial year. On this, SRB Chairman Mahmood said his department had surpassed its six-month target by 21 percent. 

Shah also made decisions on various administrative and technical issues regarding the SRB with a view to making it more efficient and effective to achieve the task of collecting the sales tax on services.

He directed the SRB had to maximise the tax collection, while, simultaneously, facilitating the taxpayers and simplifying the procedures.

Shah further told him to make efforts to construct the SRB office at a suitable location. "You must have a separate office in your own building," he said.

Philippines ambassador 

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has invited Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao to visit Karachi to guide and encourage the amateur boxers of Lyari.

He extended this invitation to the boxer through Philippines Ambassador to Pakistan Daniel Ramos Espiritu, who met him at the CM House on Tuesday.

The ambassador was accompanied by Philippines Honorary Consul General in Karachi Dr Imran Y Mohammad and Chairman Pakistan-Philippines Business Council Mohammad Aslam, while the chief minister was assisted by his principal secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch, additional chief secretary (Dev) M Waseem, special secretary Rahim Shaikh and the DG protocol.

The chief minister said Lyari was an old area of Karachi and its youth had a great potential in sports, particularly football and boxing.

“The Philippines has the honour to have produced world-famous boxers like Manny Pacquiao. I request you to arrange Pacquiao’s visit to Karachi so that our amateur boxers in Lyari could have a chance to meet the star boxer,” he said, adding that his visit would encourage young boxers in Karachi.

The ambassador said that within the next three months, Pacquiao would be the state guest of the Sindh government and would visit Lyari.

On this, the chief minister said that he would organise a mega boxing event for him. Business discussion

The Sindh chief minister discussed trade, commerce and business matters with the visiting ambassador and said that the fruits of Sindh would find a very good market in Philippines. “Our mango, guava and rice are popular all over the world,” he said, adding that recently the exporters had started exporting mango to Europe and America.

The ambassador said Philippines growers had switched over from rice to other crops. “There is a huge market of irri-6 in Philippines.”

The chief minister directed his principal secretary to arrange a meeting between the Philippines team and the agriculture department to avail the opportunity.

The ambassador, who was also accompanied by his business council and trade officers, said he would send a Pilipino business team to discuss and grab the business opportunities in Sindh.

The chief minister told him that Sindh had bumper wheat crop which could also be exported to Philippines or other countries through joint business ventures. It was also agreed that a delegation of businessmen would also visit the pharmaceutical industry in Sindh to import medicines being manufactured in Pakistan.

The ambassador said that the Philippines exported medicines from India at present. “Pakistan is also a great market for the purpose. Our delegation had recently visited 11 pharmaceutical companies in Sindh and selected nine of them for importing their medicines,” he said.  

Education

The chief minister and the ambassador also discussed students exchange programme and agreed to hold a formal meeting of Philippines educationists and the secretary of university and boards to explore the opportunities.

They also agreed to establish university affiliation programmes so that students of both the countries could take benefit at their ends.

The chief minister presented Sindhi caps, ajraks and CDs of Sindhi music to the visiting diplomat.