‘FBR to develop one-page tax form for facilitating taxpayers of certain sectors’

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will develop a simplified one-page tax form for taxpayers of certain sectors, an official said on Friday.
During his visit to the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Revenue Haroon Akhtar Khan said that the FBR will facilitate taxpayers and focus on non-filers by enhancing taxes on them to improve revenue of the country.
Khan, who was accompanied by FBR chairman Tariq Mahmood Pasha and other senior officials, said that the revenue authority is determined to document businesses and difference between tax rates for filers and non-filers would further be enhanced to bring non-filers towards the formal sector.
The FBR is connecting with the National Database Regulatory Authority (Nadra) and provincial authorities to promote documentation, he said, adding that the government is also working on several tax reforms to provide friendly environment to the taxpayers.
Excluding agriculture, tax-to-GDP ratio has increased from up to 14 percent to 15 percent, Khan said. The FBR is likely to get over 1.4 million filers this year, he said, adding that the audit process would be streamlined to facilitate taxpayers.
The Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee (ADRC) would further be refined for quick resolution of tax disputes. He assured the proposals of the business community would be given due consideration, while finalising the next budget.
Pasha said that the FBR has zero-tolerance for misbehaviour and harassment on the part of the tax collectors against any taxpayer, as maintaining the respect of the taxpayers is high on its priorities.
He assured that no raid would be conducted against any business premises without solid information. The FBR has created three exclusive zones, one each in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad to broaden the tax base, he said.
The FBR chairman said from February onwards, the taxpayers would fill the returns offline and submit them online. This arrangement would keep the server less busy and facilitate taxpayers in timely filing of the returns.
He said he has an open door policy and assured that genuine complaints of the taxpayers would be addressed. Sheikh Amir Waheed, president of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, highlighted the tax-related key issues of the business community.
Tax incentives should be given to the local industry to promote imports substitution and general sales tax (GST) should be reduced to a single-digit to bring down the cost of doing business, he added.
He urged the government to revise down 4.5 percent withholding tax WHT on individuals having turnover of Rs50 million or more, stopping raids on business premises under Section 38 and Section 40B and withdrawing regulatory duty on raw material of industry to facilitate the growth of manufacturing activities.
He stressed the taxpayers should be given at least five-year exemption from the next audit. Zahid Latif, president of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), called for taking the business community on board in the policymaking process to achieve a win-win situation.