K-PRA asks hotels in Mansehra division to provide data on tourists

Notices sent to all hotels and guest houses with an August 2 deadline

ABBOTTABAD: The provincial revenue authority has directed all hotels and guest houses in the province to provide complete details of the visitors who stayed at their establishments during the current tourism season.

In a notice from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Autho­rity (K-PRA), all hotels and guest houses, particularly those in the Mansehra division have been asked to provide complete particulars of the guests who stayed at establishments from May 1 to July 25, complete with names, addresses, contact numbers, days spent and total payments made.

The K-PRA claimed that it was entitled to seek this information under “Provision of information/Record under Section 73 read with section 49(2) of the K-P Finance Act 2013, and all details of bookings,” the notice read.

The notice was issued on July 26 but was delivered to parties on July 28 and carries a deadline of August 2.

“Failure to compliance from your side may entail penal consequences as provided in subsection 96 of Section 64 of the K-P Finance Act 2013,” the notice warned.

One recipient of the notice termed the notice as the last nail in the coffin of the dying tourism Industry. He pointed out that owing to the adverse economic conditions, the number of domestic tourists had fallen this year when compared to the previous year.

The hotel owner, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution for K-PRA, posed a question about the data sought by the K-PRA, adding that who would want to provide their personal data to a tax authority. Terming it as harassment, he said that such practices will discourage tourists and cause a loss for the industry.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2019.