Discretionary powers of tax collectors should be abolished, illegal audit policy be eliminated: LCCI VP Amjad Ali Jawa
LAHORE: The business community of the country attached huge expectations to the newly appointed Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Dr. Mohammad Irshad and Member Customs Zahid Khokhar that they will streamline audit policy, remove bottlenecks in the way of import, export, clearance and clear huge backlogs of rebate and refunds.
These views were expressed by Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry senior vice president and a top businessman in the field of pharmaceutical Amjad Ali Jawa while exclusively talking to Customs Today here at his office at the LCCI.
Jawa said that the incumbent government has failed to the exercise its control over the tax collectors who have been playing havoc with already fragile economy of the country by deliberately creating impediments in the way of import, export and other routine businesses activities.
He said that well contrived intentional hurdles in the ways of clearance of goods, articles and raw-material is well known to everyone which is rampant at the country’s biggest port, Port Bin Qasim.
He said that large number of importers have been complaining for the last many years that few black sheep in the customs sections have been creating hurdles and threatening of the importers of putting them in the long process for their vested interests and unfortunately, non one is there to question them.
Goods, articles and raw-materials clearance have been made willfully so complicated that one cannot get one’s goods easily.
On the other hand, illegal raids on the genuine and permanent taxpayers under section 38-B is another major cause that has shattered businessmen confidence in the country’s system of tax collection.
He explained that the businessmen who have been paying taxes regularly were further snubbed squeeze while the non-taxpayers have always been successful evading taxes and the tax collecting authorities have never true efforts to bring them in tax net which is one great injustice to the tax-payers who are law abiding and in the tax net contributing to the national exchequer.
“The discretionary powers of the tax authorities should be abolished while illegal audit policy be eliminated at once in larger national interest. Business community is back bone of any economy and the governments should let them work peacefully for the economic and growth and development,” Jawa highlighted.
He was of the view that in order to enhance tax net far reaching reforms were inevitable while tax survey is also a must to increase revenue collection.
LCCI SVP Amjad Ali Jawa urged the FBR Chairman Dr Irshad and Member Customs Muhammad Zahid Khaokhar to take notice of the situation and resolve the issues at their earliest.
