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FBR making concerned efforts to broaden tax base, MCMC participants told

Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is making concerned efforts to broaden the tax base and several initiatives have been taken in the recent past to increase the number of return filers which has for the first time crossed one million mark.

"Our efforts for broadening of tax base have already started paying dividends as reflected in an impressive 19 % growth rate recorded during the first three quarters of current fiscal year with FBR having already collected Rs 2103 billion in this period," said Member Facilitation and Taxpayers Education (FATE) FBR, Ms Shaista Abbas while answering queries of participants of 21st Mid-Career Management Course from National Institute of Management Quetta during their visit to FBR House.

She welcomed the visiting officers and briefly told them about the mandate, working and performance of the FBR. She said FBR being the sole institution responsible for resource mobilization and revenue generation faced a difficult task of collecting tax revenue but the strenuous and dedicated efforts of the officers and workforce of FBR were helping broaden the tax net. She told the participants FBR had also increased the cost of doing business for non-filers while CNICs had also been converted into NTNs to track down potential taxpayers through their routine financial transactions.

To another query, Ms. Shaista Abbas said FBR had formulated a strategy to go after the tax-evaders by using information obtained from their transactions in the real estate sector, purchase of vehicles, foreign travels and also by accessing, in the long run, their bank accounts to assess the extent of tax avoidance and tax evasion.
 
Earlier, Ms Tehmina Aamer, Chief Member Facilitation & Taxpayer Education (FATE), FBR, gave a detailed presentation on the working and performance of FBR in broadening the tax net and enhancing the tax-to-GDP ratio. She also shared with the officers various loopholes and weaknesses in the current taxation system and what measures were required to make the system more robust. She argued that for a robust taxation system, compliant taxpayers, independent tax authority, simplified tax laws & procedures and a vibrant tax machinery are essential. Similarly, a fair tax system should impose similar tax burdens on similarly situated individuals while tax burdens should also be proportional to an individual’s ability to pay tax, she added.

Towards the end, Khawaja Ovais Adil, Director General of NIM Quetta thanked FBR management for hosting the MCMC participants and enunciating to them key features of the taxation system. Commemorative shields were also exchanged on the occasion.