MULTAN: Multan Tax Bar Association (MTBA) has suggested reduction of corporate tax rate to 25 percent from existing 29 percent in order to promote documentation of economy and discouraging tax evasion.
The MTBA in its recommendations for the budget 2021/2022, stated that currently corporate rate of tax in Pakistan is 29 percent which due to Workers Welfare Fund (WWF) and Worker Welfare Participation Fund (WWPF) goes up to 36 percent which is higher than the average tax rate in Asia i.e. 21.32 percent.
The higher corporate rate is increasing cost of doing business and regionally uncompetitive position. The MTBA proposed that the corporate rate of tax should be decrease up to 25 percent by gradually decreasing 1 percent every year. The rate of tax on small companies should also gradually be reduced to 15 percent.
Income of WPPF should be exempted from tax. The excess of WPPF as deposited in WWF fund should be also as a credit against WWF levy. The MTBA said that the high rate of tax is encouraging tax evasion and discouraging documentation of economy and corporatization. It is also disincentive for foreign and local investment, it added.
