Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has lauded taxpayers as tax collections surpassed Rs2,205 billion during the first half of the current fiscal year (H1FY21), and called for more incentives to be provided to them in the system.
“Taxpayers are the real benefactors of the country,” he opined.
The development came during a meeting on Sunday wherein the prime minister was briefed on “positive outcomes” of tax reforms that contributed to the increase in numbers of taxpayers.
Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Information Minister Shibli Faraz and Industries Minister Hammad Azhar, Advisor to PM on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Revenue Dr Waqar Masood, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Javed Ghani and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.
It was stated that sales tax receipts also witnessed an increase due to the reforms. The prime minister was informed that there is an increase in revenue collection from this system due to the direct link of point of sale with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
The meeting was told that the tax collection system is being automated. In this regard, it was stated that the new digital taxation system will enhance transparency and help check corruption and tax evasion.
Similarly, the meeting was informed that the tax form for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has been simplified from five pages to a single one with entries from 200 to just 24.
The PM also lauded the authorities for bringing about much-needed reforms in the taxation system and called for further measures to enhance the number of taxpayers in the country.
