Govt urged to adopt Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights

ISLAMABAD: The federal government needs to start implementation of economic reform agenda by adopting Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights. The said bill clearly describes the taxpayers’ rights, the mechanism which will ensure the protection of these rights and possible remedy if taxpayers’ rights are violated or infringed upon.

According to a press release issued on Tuesday, Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) urged the federal government to take immediate steps to adopt Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights. Executive Director CPDI Amer Ejaz said that “CPDI acknowledges the commitment of newly elected PTI government towards the economic reforms”. Ejaz further remarked that by adopting taxpayers’ bill of rights PTI would win the taxpayers’ trust and confidence in the revenue collection and public expenditure mechanisms. Without appealing to the taxpayers’ trust it would be hard for government to reform the economy and achieve the targets that PTI government has set for itself.

He expresses that Mukhtar Ahmad Ali Founding Director of CPDI was part of the sub-committee constituted by former Tax Ombudsman Dr. Shoaib Suddle. The committee was headed by Dr. Tariq Hasan which drafted the said Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights. The said bill is also available on the Tax Ombudsman’s website. Unfortunately, the above referred draft has not yet been given due attention by the relevant authorities.

CPDI stresses that as a part of PTI’s economic reform agenda, the government should take up the bill on priority basis and ensure that Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights is adopted and enacted into an enforceable law without further delay.