ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued tax cards for the filers and taxpayers so that they can enjoy 50 percent discount on withholding tax and the federal excise duty along with VIP lounge at Airports and other facilities. However, more than 0.3 million tax payers refused to accept these cards and returned them to the FBR which depicts communication gap, misunderstandings and business community’s lack of trust in government and tax collection authorities.
Some sources opine that alleged negative opinion of traders about revenue collection authorities along with mismanagement are the major reasons behind return of these tax cards. If the tax payers were informed about the benefits and perks of these cards on time it might have increased the number of taxpayers this year.
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Many of the traders associations and local trader leaders have no idea about the issuance of this card and benefits associated with it. President Pakistan Traders Association Ajmal Baloch while talking to Customs Today said that he does not hold that card neither he has any information about its issuance. Only information he has about the card is that they were issued to selected persons firstly.
President traders’ welfare association sector F6 Islamabad Sarfaraz Mughal told Customs Today that he is a tax payer and filer and he has not received any tax card nor does he know about any such scheme. If this is condition of Islamabad’s traders who counter FBR on almost daily basis than what might be the condition of traders belonging to other cities, he added.
FBR issued these cards to distinguish tax payers from defaulters and to give them facilities. NADRA was given the contract of making these cards whose expenditure was in millions. NADRA prepared Hundreds of Thousands of such cards and dispatched them through a renowned courier service but over 0.3 million tax payers returned these cards.
The issuance of tax cards for current year has not been started yet.
