LAHORE: Tax survey is need of the hour to enhance tax net in true sense and the use of 38-b is also injustice against the traders and industrialists who have already been paying huge taxes which has created an extreme sense of resentment against the tax authorities. New Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Dr Mohammad Irshad is one of those people who are a precious asset of the country.
These views were expressed by Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry co-convener of standing committee of Finance and Taxation and Lahore Tax Bar Association Former Habibur Rehman Zubari while talking to Customs Today here the other day.
He explained that the tax authorities are tightening screws on the taxpayers who are already in the tax net.
He said that authorities are conducting operations against them under section 38b, 42b and audit, recovery are also being done to collect taxes from them.
It is injustice and will not enable the tax authorities to exploit the full potential of the tax collection, he said adding that, the same taxpayers are also filing returns.
Zubari added that such tactics which are on the part of the government would further aggravate the situation and there are reasonable chances that these taxpayers take to the roads and streets to protest against the tax authorities.
He said that the tax authorities must have to alter their policies and ensure broadening of tax net by bringing in the net more and non-taxpayers.
“It is thought provoking that no proper tax survey has been conducted by the governments since 1999 which has added to the troubles for the tax collecting authorities to meet the annual target,” the former LTBA president highlighted.
He suggested that the tax authorities should come out of their offices and reach to the market places to have an exact picture of the tax payers.
When the authorizes would question and assess the real taxpayers and bring them into the tax net after proper survey the FBR will be able to collect as much tax as they are required without provoking the existent tax payers, Zubari added.
To a question, he said that the new chairman FBR Dr Mohammad Irshad is an honest and competent officer and if he is given level playing field he can bring in sea change by tabbing the full potential of tax collection.
He also urged the chairman FBR to make arrangements for tax survey enabling the government to assesses the exact number of the tax payers.
No other way is as effective as that of the tax survey and the authorities must have to seriously ponder over it to make a difference, he concluded.
