ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Friday issued tax directories of parliamentarians and general taxpayers including companies in order to public the information about contribution of different segments of taxpayers.
Federal Finance Minister Asad Umar in his message said that every country levies taxes to raise revenues which are essential for the running of affairs of a state and provision of public services.
“Development of a progressive taxation system is an essential tool to reduce social inequalities in a society and bridge the gap between the rich and the poor,” he said.
The countries exhibiting due diligence in collection of taxes from the affluent segments of the society through progressive taxation and expending them judiciously for the welfare of the poor are rated high on transparency and good governance index.
Efficient, fair and sustainable tax systems are critical for institution building and promoting democracy and improved economic governance, he added.
The need for transparency and accountability in a vibrant democracy imposes extra responsibility on public representatives for disclosure of their assets and the sources of their income.
With these aims and objectives, FBR published, its first Tax Directory of Parliamentarians in tax year 2013.
However, this time, in line with the incumbent government’s reform agenda, the directory embodies the policy of transparency and accountability through access to information.
The publication of the Parliamentarians’ Tax Directory is an integral step towards ensuring transparency and informing voters about the taxpaying status of their elected representatives, the finance minister said.
Tax Directory of the parliamentarians for the tax year 2017 is now published. The directory contains tax details of members of the Senate of Pakistan and Members of the National as well as Provincial Assemblies.
“I would like to appreciate the efforts of the FBR for compiling and publishing this tax directory,” the finance minister said.
Hammad Azhar, State Minister for Revenue, said that governments around the world levy taxes to generate revenue for running affairs of the state, including provision of public services.
However, welfare of the people across a wide spectrum of society demands a fair and equitable taxation system.
Fully cognizant of this fact, the incumbent government is, therefore, fully committed to its vision of a reformed, efficient and transparent taxation system as an engine of faster and equitable socio-economic development of the country, with special focus on the well being of the economically disadvantaged segments of society. The role of the FBR in the realization of that vision is self evident, he said.
He said that the FBR will continue to provide tax related services to the government and the taxpayers with even greater zeal, commitment and professionalism in the years ahead to help achieve our cherished goal of ‘Naya Pakistan’.
