Revenue collecting agencies to adopt joint strategy

LAHORE: All provincial revenue collecting agencies would adopt a joint strategy for telecom sector services tax collection case pending with the Supreme Court of Pakistan to get relief as it has been adversely affecting the provinces revenue collection since the SC suspended tax collection from telecom users in the country.

In this regard, a provincial revenue collecting agency passed a resolution to provide representation to Provincial Revenue Collecting Agencies in Inter Federal and Provincial Finance Ministers Committee established under 7th NFC Award. A meeting on the issue was held here at the Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) Headquarters on Wednesday on the directions of Punjab Finance Minster Mukhdoom Hashim Jawan Bukht. The representatives of all the Provincial Revenue Collecting Agencies attended the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss mutual issues and interests. The meeting was chaired by Dr Raheal Ahmed Siddiqui, Chairperson, PRA, and Muhammad Nasir Khan, Director General KPRA, Muhammed Yousaf Afridi, Collector KPRA, Mushtaq Kazmi, Advisor Tax Policy Sindh Revenue Board, Zameer Khalid, Commissioner Appeal, Sindh Revenue Board. While Javed Ahmed, Member Operations, Kamran Ahmed, Member Legal, and Zainul Abideen Sahi, Member Policy, attended the meeting on behalf of the Punjab Revenue Authority.

It was decided in the meeting that all provincial revenue collecting agencies would adopt a joint strategy for the telecom case in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. On the same grounds, all the authorities demanded proper representation of provincial revenue authorities in federal Economic Advisory Council and other such federal committees.

In this regard, Tax Advisor of Sindh Revenue Board Mushtaq Kazmi appreciated PRA’s initiative of convening the meeting of all provincial revenue authorities. Dr Raheal Ahmad Siddiqui, chairperson, PRA, proposed that all revenue authorities might meet through video conference on a monthly basis, to which all participants agreed. It is decided that a web portal would be established to resolve legal and other issues among all revenue collecting agencies.