Won’t spare any tax defaulter from next fiscal: Tarin

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin Wednesday said the government would not spare any wilful tax defaulters, and those who would ignore tax notices of the FBR would have to face consequences. “There will be no lenient attitude for any tax defaulter in the next fiscal year,” the minister made it clear while talking to journalists here at the Parliament House. In an informal chat, Shaukat Tarin said the government took taxation measures of Rs264 billion in the budget 2021-22 instead of Rs383 billion. “We have agreed to provide relief to different sectors on the recommendations of the Senate as their proposals were accommodated in this budget,” Shaukat Tarin said.

He said that the budget 2021-22 would be implemented from July 1, 2021 as the Parliament was expected to grant its nod on approval of the budget next week. The minister made it clear that he would not spare any tax defaulter from next fiscal year.

“We are ready to negotiate with all stakeholders and after taking all of them into confidence effective enforcement will be done,” he maintained.

He recalled that there was a time in the past when the FBR sent out notices that were ignored but now onwards all such people would have to bear consequences if they plunged into similar practice. He said that the tax officers would not be allowed to harass any taxpayers but at the same time the wilful tax defaulters would get no lenient attitude.