Daily Times

The Khyber Pakthunkhwa Government has introduced different reforms in excise, taxation, and narcotics control department to facilitate taxpayers and increase tax revenue besides launching ‘Zama KP’ (My KP) application for online payment of taxes.

Prepared with the technical assistance of Sub National Governance Programme and Foreign and Common-Wealth Office of the British Government, the mobile app ‘Zama KP (My KP)’ has been prepared by the excise, taxation, and narcotics control department in line with the PTI Government’s e-governance strategy aimed at to collect token tax and fees of vehicles verification, registration, transfer and new number plates through mobile phone at a single click. An official of the excise and taxation department told that taken tax of vehicles under the e-payment system has received very positive responses from taxpayers from across the province. He said that taxpayers can submit their taxes on mobile from their homes and offices through the ‘Zama KP’ app. In the second phase, work on e-payment of other taxes including motor vehicles and property taxes would be launched, he said, adding other departments including education boards could also use ‘Zama KP’ to collect its fees. The issuance of universal registration plates to vehicles would be started from next month, he said, adding KP’s tourism feature has been included in new number plates’ designs. The registration fee of 1,300 CC to 2,500 CC engine vehicles has been fixed at Rs one after amendment in relevant laws, he said, adding substantial reduction in vehicles’ registration fee is aimed at to increase vehicles’ registrations of Peshawar and others cities of KP besides enhancing tax revenue in the province. While abolishing middle man’s culture, he said registration books and number plates would be issued to vehicles owners under the new system on the spot and that a new survey regarding property tax has been launched in the province.

He said that Rs78.944 million are being spent on urban immovable property (UIP) tax survey in Mardan district and work on up-gradation of UIP tax system, Rs65.347 million on the strengthening of the department and Rs50 million for the establishment of Geographical Information Cell for UIP have been speeded up.

The official said that work on 11 different projects with an allocation of Rs205 million for the current fiscal year was underway including the establishment of tax facilitation centers, e-payment projects, and strengthening of the department. The government has expedited work on the establishment of six facilitation centers and excise offices in six districts amounting to Rs407 million with the allocation of Rs15.250 million for the current fiscal year.

He said that it was a locally funded project approved by the Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) on January 28, 2015, to provide all kinds of facilities to taxpayers at their doorsteps. Work on e-enablement projects amounting to Rs50 million and establishment of model warehouses with allied facilities costing Rs265 million has been accelerated besides construction of lockups with relevant services along with the capacity building of new narcotics control wing worth Rs50 million at divisional headquarters of Khyber Pakthunkhwa.