ISLAMABAD: Shaista Abbas, the director general of the Broadening of Tax Base (BTB) wing of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), has briefed the World Bank team about measures taken by the government to increase the tax base.
Highlighting the steps to enhance tax base, she said that the BTB had obtained information about money transactions from various sources, including information from motor vehicle registration authorities, car manufacturing companies, electricity supply and distributing companies, property registration authorities, mobile phone subscribers companies, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, Pakistan Engineering Council, Pakistan Bar Council and other institutions about the potential taxpayers.
Source told Customs Today that the World Bank team also discussed different hurdles in the way of broadening the tax base in the country and lauded the FBR’s efforts in this regard.
The source said that DG BTB also observed that FBR intended the Broadening of Tax Base as its prime initiative and BTB had also taken recovery measures against chronic defaulters.
She also placed a list of other sources through which information about the potential taxpayers had been collected. “BTB has also sought information from airlines regarding frequent domestic and foreign travelers; information from land developers/constructors of commercial/residential buildings regarding allottees, purchasers of flats, shops, plots” he maintained adding that information from banks regarding cash withdrawal, information regarding dealers, distributors of big companies.
She also apprised the visiting team that central data bank based on the above information would be created, all the potential taxpayers would be brought into the tax net and no one would be left untaxed. “All the information will be used across the Board in fair and equitable manner against all the potential taxpayers” she added.
it is pertinent to note here that in this December Shaista Abbas assumed the charge of the post of Director General (BTB), Federal Board of Revenue (HQ). Previously she was officer of Inland Revenue Service in grade 21, Director General (Special Initiatives) FBR, stationed at Karachi.
