Imran again urges nation to avail tax amnesty

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has called upon the nation once again to take advantage of the government’s Assets Declaration Scheme which ends on June 30, while cautioning tax evaders that he does not want “any difficulties” for them.

In a pre-recorded televised address on Friday, with a degree of urgency, Khan said: “I have seen my people, I have seen my people in the earthquake in northern Pakistan in 2005. Only with the help of the public can we pull ourselves out of this quicksand of loans.”

Khan made the impassioned plea as his government faces a showdown with the opposition on passing a tax-heavy budget, and also as a International Monetary Fund agreement looms. Khan has been shoring up support from allied parties, and held a meeting the same day with Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid leader Chaudhry Shujaat, who pledged his “unconditional support” for the government’s budget. “We can come out of this (debt trap) easily,” Khan said in his televised speech. “We have to collect Rs5,500 billion (in tax revenue) during the next (fiscal) year. I think, we can collect above Rs8,000 billion every year, if nation decides so.”

This would help resolve all the economic issues — making the country self-sufficient, rid the people of poverty and brighten the future of the next generation, he stressed.

“The FBR [Federal Board of Revenue] has all the data,” he added. “I wish there are no difficulties for you. I do not wish for you to face challenges. By visiting FBR’s website, you can access your data and know what kind of information we have collected.” Therefore, “benefit from this scheme and pull the country out of this quicksand,” Khan added.

The Prime Minister, who had also addressed the nation on the very subject on June 11, hours after the announcement of the federal budget, said during the last 10 years, the country’s foreign debt had swelled from Rs6,000 billion to Rs30,000 billion. He said half of the tax revenue is being spent to repay the markup of the said loans. “This means we are stuck in a debt trap. Today, we are taking loans just to pay back the markup on the previous loans,” he said. The Prime Minister said the country’s condition had worsened to such extent just because of corruption and tax evasion.

He assured citizens to not worry about corrupt elements as the government would never pardon them in any way. In order to curb tax evasion, he said the government needed the public’s support and believed that without their support, the country could not get out of the debt trap. He once again spoke of the tax amnesty scheme. “This scheme gives you a chance to declare the money, dollars, gold you have kept at home, your foreign assets and undeclared assets. This is a golden opportunity for you,” he said.