LAHORE: Tax revenue and tax net can be increased to a great extent provided the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) starts facilitating the taxpayers, impose a fixed tax levy and keep the return form unchanged for a period of 20 years.
This was stated by All Pakistan Paper Merchants Association Chairman (APPMA) Khawaja Nadeem Saeed Wayeen while talking to Customs Today.
“We can bring in millions of traders and industrialist into tax net if the FBR assures that all the new taxpayers will be charged a certain fixed tax amount”, he added.
New tax payers are also reluctant to come in to the tax net having lesson from the hardships of the already in tax net. He said that the traders and industrialist who are in tax net have no benefit and no incentives over the one who are not paying taxes. He said that the withholding agents who are paying their tax liabilities should enjoy honour over the other. This will encourage the non-taxpayers, he hinted.
He said that due to a number of complexities taxpayers are avoiding paying their taxes. The tax system should be as simple as payments of utility bills.
We are paying a big chunk of money to the tax practitioners and if the tax system is simple that very amount can be deposited to the national exchequer instead of wasting in litigations.
He said that the return form is very much complex that needs to be made simple and unchanged for at least a period of twenty years.
“We the traders can assure the government that keeping the return form can increase the tax revenue to manifold,” he explained.
Nadeem also brought to that the use of tax is also not appropriate and the important revenue which is collected from the citizens is being spent on the lavish life of the few chosen.
Nadeem said that we are with the incumbent government and want to see it ruling for years but the government should also feel the plights of the business community.
The 0.3 percent withholding tax has also crated much hue and cry. Both the government and traders should resolve the dispute on the table, he suggested.
