ISLAMABAD: Amongst various innovative initiatives launched by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to maximise tax compliance through digitisation of business transactions, automation of its operations and facilitation of taxpayers, point of sale (POS) system is one crucial intervention that aims to monitor sales made by tier-1 retailers across Pakistan.
Adding value to this critically important sector and plug revenue leakages, the FBR has launched an aggressive awareness campaign on the mainstream media to educate and engage consumers to ensure that tax collected from them at the point of sale is deposited into the state exchequer.
Furthermore, the campaign also encompasses a prize scheme worth Rs53 million to be disbursed among 1,007 lucky winners through a transparent computerised ballot to be held on the 15th of every month at FBR headquarters, Islamabad.
The first ballot has already been conducted in front of TV channels, and the winners were contacted live during the ceremony and congratulated by the FBR chairman. Around 800 winners have been transferred prize money into their accounts after the due diligence and required verification. It is a unique example of involving citizens in tax compliance and raising their awareness about their national responsibility to not just pay their tax but also safeguard the same from being stolen on its way to the national exchequer.
The ongoing outreach campaign and the prize scheme have started paying the desired dividends as numbers speak for themselves. In January, FBR has witnessed that over 153,000 invoices were verified by customers who shopped from outlets integrated with FBR POS system as against 45,000 in December when the campaign was launched.
Likewise, around 37 million invoices were issued by tier-1 retailers which are integrated with the FBR POS system in January as compared to 33 million in December 2021, registering a steady growth of four million. The number of customers who successfully verified their invoices jumped from 10,000 to 27,000 within one month. However, 29,000 invoices issued by tier-1 retailers couldn’t be verified which are presumably fake. This is a phenomenal increase in public participation and is likely to further grow. The second computerised ballot is set to be held tomorrow (Tuesday evening) at FBR Headquarters, Islamabad.
Last month, while addressing the participants present during the first computerised draw of the POS prize scheme, FBR Chairman Dr. Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmed had appealed to the Pakistani citizens to launch a national movement for the promotion of a culture of tax compliance in the country. He had suggested a three-pronged strategy to ensure that sales tax collected from customers at the point of sale was being deposited in the state exchequer. He had proposed that people should shop only from those tier-1 retail outlets which were integrated with the FBR POS system. FBR has already distributed prizes worth Rs53 million among the lucky 1,007 winners in the first computerised ballot held on Jan 15 2022.
