Closed for Covid-19 Excise authorities seek permission to open offices

Say the closure on account of pandemic has seriously disrupted tax collection

LAHORE:

The Excise and Taxation Department has sought the Punjab government’s permission to reopen its property tax offices all over the province.

According to sources, the department conveyed that the closure of its offices as part of measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 has seriously hindered tax collection activities and could prevent revenue targets from being met.

“Due to the closure of offices, we haven’t been able to issue tax challans for 2020. This will have a serious impact on revenue collection,” an excise official told The Express Tribune. “In addition, taxpayers won’t be able to avail full benefit from the tax rebate announced by the government until September,” the official added.

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According to sources, the Punjab cabinet’s sub-committee on Covid-19 will take up the matter in an upcoming meeting and decide whether the department’s tax offices in 36 districts and motor branch offices in 13 districts should be opened. The revenue target the excise department has meet this fiscal year is Rs32 billion.

On the other hand, the department has decided to set up special counters outside bar rooms to renew the annual permits for the province’s more than 200,000 alcohol buyers, sources said. “In order to avoid Covid-19 risks, we have decided not to renew these permits held by members of non-Muslim communities, and have decided to open these special booths instead,” an official said. He added that managers of all bar rooms in the province have been directed to make proper arrangements in light of the pandemic.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 10^th, 2020.