Summary He assured businessmen that income tax officers won’t harass them as they believe to be capable of a
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman Shabbar Zaidi said today (May 27) that collection of tax in Pakistan is very low so they are trying to improve the system by achieving a tax target to stabilize the economic situation.
While talking in Dunya News program ‘Dunya Kamran Khan Kay Sath’, he said they have set a big tax target. “I am working according to a long-term strategy”, he added. “We have collected all the data and will discuss it with the experts”.
FBR chairman expressed that they have to take businessmen in confidence. People won’t pay tax until and unless income tax officer do not get on their nerves, he added. “It is important to improve the economy by building trust with businessmen”.
He asserted a common man can’t even understand the tax laws written in English so he is trying rewrite the FBR rules in a very simple and understandable language. “It will be difficult to achieve the target if masses won’t cooperate,” he expressed. It has been decided to receive a fixed tax from small vendors, he added.
Shabbar Zaidi said that real income tax was eliminated by 2018. He assured businessmen that income tax officers won’t harass them as they believe to be capable of achieving the target.
While talking in the program, All Karachi Tajir Ittehad (AKTI) chairman Atiq Mir expressed that attempts were made in the past to bring small factories into the tax net. He showed concerned asking that how the tax target of Rs550 billion can be achieved when the situations are adverse in economy sector.
International tax lawyer Dr. Ikramul Haq said that tax system needs to be improved. He stated that World Bank has shown them their reflection so it is impossible for FBR to fulfill the target. “Big claimants have done nothing in the past. Will we always reside in the darkness of misery?”, he asked. Everyone has to play their role understanding their national duty.
Former Special Assistant on Revenue Haroon Akhtar told in the program, "I want the FBR to fulfill its target, but Shabbar Zaidi will come to know about the difficulties in coming days." Government has provided an impossible task to FBR to collect that much of tax in the current economic conditions".
