LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Finance Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht has said that the Punjab government’s new tax reforms will surely raise the confidence of the masses on their government.
“The circle of accountability will not merely be extended to those who don’t pay tax but also government will be held responsible for every penny which will be spent. Progressive system of tax collection will automatically urge the business community to pay their taxes. Nobody will be charged unjust tax. Youth is indeed our real strength in New Pakistan. I just hope that the interns who have completed their internship in PRA will be able to convince their communities that paying tax is their moral duty and will play the true role of true ambassadors for the government of Punjab. We just need hope for a progressive Pakistan and our youth is “The Hope”,” he said.
He expressed these views while addressing the completion ceremony of the 4th Internship Program of Punjab Revenue Authority.
The minister said: “I must appreciate Punjab Revenue Authority which has taken the lead over many other organizations in introducing such wonderful internship programs. These programs are not only necessary for the development of trained workforce but they also help spread a soft image of the tax collecting agencies which is the need of the hour, as majority of the public somehow get frightened from such tax collecting agencies and are therefore reluctant to pay their taxes.” Minister said that the new government is going to strengthening the institutions for a stronger Pakistan.
PRA Chairman Raheel Ahmed Siddiqi, in his address, said, “This Internship Program has been a part of PRA’s Youth Engagement Program since 2017 and ever since we have been conducting one batch each for junior and senior students. It is the first time we decided to initiate 2 different batches for both Junior & Senior Internship Programs.” He further said that PRA being a tax collecting authority has always tried to find new ways to spread tax awareness amongst the general public and one of our most successful measures has been the Internship Program, as these youngsters represent the future of the country and are PRA’s “Tax Ambassadors”.
Member operations Javaid Ahmed also addressed the ceremony and announced cash gift of 20 and 16 thousands rupees for first and second position holders of documentary competition during the course. Certificates were also distributed among the graduates by the minister.
