Drive to enhance tax collection amiss

Low number responds to FBR notices.

ISLAMABAD: Despite the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) issuing notices to 117,000 potential taxpayers to file their returns, only 14,182 have responded positively.

In a bid to enhance revenue collection, the FBR issued notices to taxpayers that require filing of returns. But less than 10 percent have filed their tax returns up to May 2014. According to data issued by the FBR here on Wednesday, provisional assessments in cases where the person did not respond to notice have been framed in more than 22,296 cases.

A tax demand of Rs8.222 billion had been raised in such cases, a FBR spokesperson said, and added that a collection of Rs139 million has been made with their tax returns being filed. An additional amount of Rs110 million has been collected without the returns.

Proceedings in the remaining 80,318 cases is in process, added the FBR spokesperson.

As per details, the FBR has launched an initiative to bring more people liable to pay income tax in the tax net. For the purpose of this programme, data is being collected regarding people’s purchases in the real estate and auto sectors. Their utility bills and school fees and other taxable business activities are also being monitored.

The FBR has long been criticised for its ineffectiveness in enhancing tax collection with revenue falling short of its target almost every time. APP

Published in The Express Tribune, August 14^th, 2014.

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