Tax returns

The recent move to allow non-filers to purchase new cars and expensive property is a retrogressive step. With less than two percent of the population filing returns, there is an urgent need to widen the tax base. Ideally non-filers of tax returns should be limited to individuals who aren’t required to pay taxes under the Income Tax Ordinance of Pakistan. It is wrong to assume that 98 percent of the population has income below the taxable limit. Let non-filers prove this by filing returns to show they have sources to buy expensive properties and their incomes are not taxable.

It should be necessary to become a filer to buy any property. At one time, there were a large number of people who didn’t have their CNICs. However, because of strict government orders, almost everyone in the country has one. In the same way, people should be required to file tax returns. Also, widening the tax base is also a necessity to improve the economy of the country.

Khurram Muzaffar

Rawalpindi