Our Customs system needs strict check and balance to promote local industry, legal trade
LAHORE: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) should launch its own TV channel to train and impart the masses about tax related matters in order to promote tax culture in the society. The government should have upgraded FBR in the budget 2014-15 by separating enforcement and adjudication.
This was stated by tax experts and Lahore Tax Bar Association former president Habibur Rehman Zubari while giving his insight on Budget 2015-16 here Friday.
He said that the launch of FBR TV will be a very useful venture to increase revenue collection and promote tax culture. The TV should broadcast such programs that would impart the general public of the true essence of the FBR and benefits of being a taxpayer over non-taxpayers.
He added that the TV and availability of the telecasted programs worldwide enable Pakistanis to pay their taxes while living in foreign country.
However, we see no such measure has been taken in this regard in the budget. At least some funds should be allocated for such projects that would be useful nurture tax culture in our people, he expressed.
Revenue cannot be increased just by increasing tax rates but by increasing tax base, Zubari suggested, adding that unfortunately, the government has done nothing concrete with regard to basic necessities of life, he believed.
“The Budget has not announced anything good for education of the general public health of the people is another sector which has again been neglected. People should be provided free education free books and free life saving drugs. All over the world life saving drugs are given free of charge or at very nominal prices but our people are deprived of the facility,” he criticized the budget 2015-16.
Agricultural sector is another neglected area that needs sufficient funds but the government has set aside nothing for it, Zubari said.
Replying to a question he said that 90 percent of the markets are abounding in illegal goods and article and no one is there to question. How can our native industry flourish when smuggled goods are available on cheaper prices, he questioned.
“We need to rationalize and fix customs tariff to increase revenue from Customs by 1000 percent by itself,” he said, our customs system is week enough due to the reason the employees at all level can easily get into the corrupt practices.
Smuggling is encouraging under-invoicing as the importers are aware of the fact that legally imported goods cannot compete with the smuggled goods and resultantly importers have to go to take the risk of under invoicing. Our Customs system need strict check and balance to promote local industry and legal trade, he concluded.
