Do they monitor the daily operation of the tax collection system at the banks?
KARACHI: On the morning of October 3, at 10:15 am, I went to the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) branch at Schon Circle, Karachi to pay motor vehicle tax. I was told by an employee of the excise and taxation department of the Sindh government that the “system is down” and was asked to come again the next day. I was also told that the “system is down” at another NBP branch nearby. The official told me that I could go to another of the bank’s branch around three kilometres away. I went there and to my utter disappointment found that there, too, the “system” was not working. To make matters worse, the desk where one pays motor vehicle tax had no person manning it and it was 11:15 am! I had to return home without making the coffers of the Sindh government richer. Through its red tape, it seems the government is not interested in receiving the tax that is due on the vehicles owned by me.
I want to ask the excise and taxation minister and the secretary of the department some questions. Do they monitor the daily operation of the tax collection system at the banks? Do they ensure that corrective measures are taken when the system doesn’t work? It is worth bearing in mind that at the branches, the bank’s own system was working fine and only the separate one operated by the Sindh excise and taxation department was not operational. Will the Sindh government kindly ensure that those who want to pay their taxes are not made to undergo torture for wanting to fulfil their legal responsibility?
Engr Khalid Rashid Quraishi
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2012.
