Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the nation yet again to avail the government's asset declaration scheme before the June 30 deadline.
In an appeal to the nation broadcast on Friday evening, the premier said Pakistan could come out of the "debt trap" if the people supported it in enhancing its revenues.
“This is a golden opportunity for you, the scheme allows you to declare all your assets in the country and abroad, including gold, dollars and other benami assets,” he said in his brief message.
He called upon the citizens to disclose their undeclared assets and avoid action by the Federal Board of Revenue.
“I don’t want you to face any difficulty,” he said, adding that the FBR had all asset details that can also be accessed from its website. "Hence, you should avail this scheme and help the country to overcome its challenges.”
This was the third time he went on state media to appeal to the people to avail the scheme, which was launched last month for whitening of undisclosed expenditures, sales and assets at nominal tax rates.
“You don’t need to worry about corruption because we won’t spare the corrupt,” he said. “The real challenge is to stop tax evasion, which is not possible without your support.”
The premier said the government needed to collect at least Rs5500 billion in taxes next year, and had the potential to accumulate over Rs8,000 billion, which could "help the country get rid of all its ills".
According to sources, less than 250 Pakistanis have so far availed the tax amnesty scheme and paid a paltry sum of about Rs450 million in taxes despite the personal appeals.
The previous tax amnesty scheme, launched by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government, remained largely successful when over 84,000 people legalised around Rs2.4 trillion in black assets by paying Rs124 billion in taxes.
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