LAHORE: The existing tax system is not an indigenous one and has turned into a nuisance for the taxpayers who want to pay their taxes. The registered taxpayers have been pressed hard by the authorities who, on the other hand, have failed to bring into tax net potential taxpayers and evaders.
This was stated by Lahore Tax Bar Association President Ayesha Qazi during an exclusively interview with Customs Today at her office in Regional Tax Office here.
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Ayesha Qazi, who has the privilege of being the first-ever woman president of any Tax Bar not only in Pakistan but in the entire Asia, said that people avoided paying taxes for lack of facilitation, rewards and improper use of their tax paid to the exchequer.
“Four to six percent of the society is paying tax liability because of unawareness among the masses and harassing attitude of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) employees,” Qazi disclosed, adding that worse was that the government was indifferent to address the issues.
“People prefer avoiding taxpaying due to the tax related complexities. They save their money, their self respect, their peace of mind by not coming into contact with the tax authorities,” she pointed out.
“We have been suggesting the government to ensure that the taxpayers are being respected and facilitated irrespective of their small or big status. This will help nurture tax culture in our society and taxpayers will feel proud over the non-taxpayers,” the LTBA president elaborated.
Earlier, the government used to issue preference cards to taxpayers which would enable them enjoy preference at various places including airports and railways station. The authorities at these places would respect them which would ultimately make the taxpayer more disciplined towards their tax liabilities,” she asserted.
Ayesha Qazi said that now the government had launched privilege cards for top taxpayers only, leaving the taxpayers in general in the lurch.
She highlighted the bad impact of the amnesty schemes, saying that the government had become habitual of introducing amnesty schemes which discouraged the regular taxpayers.
“One who pays his tax liabilities regularly feel disappointment when he come across the fact that people who have not been paying their tax for so long will be “purified” by paying a small amount as their tax liability,” she explained, adding that such amnesty scheme motivated regular taxpayers to do away with his tax liability in the pretext of availing amnesty schemes like the none-return filers.
To a question, she said that difficulties confronted people with while obtaining NTN and registration was another great hurdle in broadening the tax net.
“You say there is no fee for obtaining NTN and registration but in fact one cannot get NTN or get registered unless you pay Rs20,000 to 30,000 bribe to the officials concerned,” the LTBA chief disclosed.
Ayesha Qazi stressed that the tax system should be de-centralization and people living in any part of the country should be registered in the immediate vicinity of their dwelling. “The FBR chairman, members and everyone in the department is agreed with the suggestion but everyone is “passing the buck” when they are asked to take up the issue, Ayesha Qazi expressed her disappointment.
The LBTA president citing the example of Broadening of Tax Base (BTB) department in Lahore said that the bureaucrats have been doing contrary to their jobs by disallowing the general public to visit them in their offices. They often discourage the people by rebuking them harshly, she said, adding in such circumstances boarding of tax net dream is impossible to be realized.
