Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Due to Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) implementation of initiatives to increase number of filers of income tax returns as well as friendly policies of the government, the number of taxpayers has increased to 1.1 million, said FBR Inland Revenue Policy member Rehmatullah Wazir on Wednesday while briefing the participants of 105th National Management Course. FBR (Customs) member Nasir Masroor Ahmed also spoke on the occasion and gave the visiting officers an overview of the roles and responsibilities of Pakistan Customs Service in enhanced revenue mobilisation, trade facilitation and effective border management. Earlier, the participants and the faculty, led by National School of Public Policy NSPP Rector Muhammad Ismail Qureshi, were welcomed by FBR (Administration) member Majid Qureshi, who, in his welcome address, briefly explained the role and responsibilities of FBR. He also thanked the NSPP for choosing FBR as a key government organization for inculcating strategic thinking among the course participants engaged in public policy formulation and decision-making at higher levels. In his presentation on the Inland Revenue Service, Rehmatullah Wazir said FBR had adopted a broad range of measures and had taken steps in recent months to broaden the tax base and increase the tax net. “We believe that there is a tax potential equal to Rs 5,500-6,000 billion and our efforts are directed to explore all possibilities for realizing this potential and generating much-needed resources for socioeconomic spending,” he added. He said FBR had also taken measures to create distinction between filers and non-filers by raising the cost of doing business for non-filers. Similarly, new perspectives such as creation and maintenance of central data bank, simplification of tax procedures, increased reliance on direct taxes within the tax-mix, minimum tax exemptions and withholding tax, robust audit and more transparency were also being explored to promote a culture of tax compliance, he added. Later, an interactive question and answer session was also held in which the visiting participants asked questions on fiscal policy and taxation. Commemorative shields were also exchanged on the occasion.