The last date for filing annual tax returns was extended from September 30 to October 31. CREATIVE COMMONS
KARACHI:
Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has urged the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to modify its software for filing online tax returns due to exclusion of Income Support Levy.
The Sindh High Court on October 10 granted stay order against collection of 5% Income Support Levy (ISL) imposed through Finance Act 2013, TIP said in a letter to FBR chairman Tariq Bajwa.
The taxpayers filing returns online through e-portal of FBR will face difficulties when the software will reject their forms for not filling the columns for ISL, it said.
The last date for filing annual tax returns was extended from September 30 to October 31 due to inordinate delays by FBR in finalising the software of the e-portal system that would accept returns without ISL.
TIP reminded that ISL was challenged in the Sindh High Court on the grounds that it was double taxation and was imposed without lawful authority after the 18th Constitutional Amendment, whereby the concurrent list had been deleted.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2013.
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TIP has a motto: "You need to leave a ‘tip’ for TIP” If you do not pay you get into trouble with TIP. The TIP objection has noting to do with FBR practices but the fact that TIP did not get its "tip". Well documented by express tribune in:
http://tribune.com.pk/story/103107/corruption-charges-transparency-international-chief-faces-yet-another-probe/
http://tribune.com.pk/story/92165/nicl-land-fraud-transparency-chief-under-fia-probe/
F.B.R. have to make tax filing more simpler. The forms are beyond the comprehension of common people. It is a self defeating exercise. Pakistan has to increase its internal revenues. How can this be possible with the kind of ordinances, laws, forms, people, that the common people have to deal with. The forms should be one page, the questions should be very simple, there should be a random test from the public whether the forms can be correctly interpreted by common people. This is important in the context of this country that everything connected with tax, has to be end user friendly, transparent. It is beyond comprehension that after 66years the state still cannot collect tax from most of its citizens, shows our true colours as a nation as a people, when law makers themselves do not pay, why expect common folks to cough-up???.