ISLAMABAD: Tax practitioners have urged the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to ensure verification of tax withheld on the IRIS portal in order to facilitate taxpayers in making adjustment or claiming refunds.
Pakistan Tax Bar Association (PTBA) submitted proposals for budget 2020/2021 saying that withholding tax regime should be simplified by reducing the categories of withholding taxes and the rates thereon.
It said that the withholding agent should be facilitated through robust IRIS; wherein the visibility of tax deduction should be provided to the taxpayer instead of relying on the withholding agents’ certificates.
The rates of tax for all withholding taxes under one provision of law should be minimized and the differentiation should be on the basis of Active and Non-Active Taxpayer only.
Withholding agents should be given incentive in the form of tax credit for facilitating the Government withholding/collecting taxes and in identifying potential tax evaders.
The withholding tax challans should be made available on the IRIS to every registered person, instead of collecting the same from registered person(s) deducting and depositing the tax.
The concept of Minimum Tax should be done away with for all the corporate Sector companies, who file their tax returns and pay tax on actual income regular basis.
The government departments including defence should pay the tax withheld on FBR IRIS instead of book adjustment.
Sales tax (including provincial sales tax on services) and other government levies should be excluded for the purpose of withholding collection of tax.
A ‘Small Company’ including company having similar business and turnover should be brought at par with an Individual or AOP having turnover limit up to Rs 50 million.
