ISLAMABAD: The Tax Reform Implementation Commission (TRIC) has termed NADRA’s data unhelpful for broadening the tax base.
Official sources said that the TRIC held its meeting last week, in which the commission concluded that NADRA’s data could not help the FBR for achieving the desired objectives. The officials said that NADRA and the FBR had struck a deal for sharing data, but NADRA could only provide the CNIC confirmation.
They said if NADRA data showed that around 1,500 people lived in the most expensive area of Islamabad, that data could not verify the economic status of each individual. The TIRC dwelt upon some of the short-term measures for broadening the tax base, such as proper valuation of immovable properties, simplification of laws, structural ethics and Grievance Redressal System both at chief commissioner/collector level and FBR (HQs), as well as use of mufassil units.
Other short-term recommendations of the Tax Reform Implementation Commission were improvement in IT system/automation to reduce the cost of compliance and emphasis on liaison with NAB to implement recommendations against corruption.
Regarding placing track and trace system for checking cigarettes manufacturers’, a private member of TIRC expressed concern over the slow pace of implementation. It was decided that now the Tax Reform Implementation Commission would be given monthly progress on this project.
At present the pace of the implementation of reforms is very slow and it should be expedited. The FBR’s failure to expedite the implementation of the commission’s suggestions could have problems in the reforms process.
