Tax survey of posh markets 20 teams to distribute 'verification forms'

The Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation, Inland Revenue has decided to formulate 20 teams of tax officials, who would distribute 'verification forms' at all business premises in posh markets under the national tax survey to be launched in all cities of the country.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Wednesday that Shahid Hussain Asad Director General, Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation, Inland Revenue has finalised all arrangements for launching of the national tax survey under the alternative strategy for documentation of economy. It is expected that the field survey would be gradually launched in September 2011.
According to the plan, the FBR would conduct complete mapping of posh localities with the help of government departments/authorities in all cities. The survey teams would visit markets based on mapping of posh areas across the country. The standing operating procedure (SOP) of the national tax survey has been approved by the FBR. In this regard, the FBR has taken all stakeholders including business and trade on board. The FBR has selected honest and decent tax officials as team members for going into the field formations for distribution of 'verification forms' at shops, retail outlets, and departmental stores and other business units for conducting survey at the national level.
The plan further says that the FBR will provide necessary funds to the concerned teams for carrying out proper survey in all cities of the country. A simple 'verification forms' will only seek information whether the business unit is taxpayer or not. The FBR will also ask whether the unit has obtained the National Tax Number. In case of 'no', the owner of business unit will only be asked to provide computerised national identity card number (CNIC), business name and names/CNICs of proprietors, if any for allocation of NTN. The department can also ask for proof of filing of latest income tax return by the business unit. There is no chance of any harassment during the survey as the teams would not ask details of stocks, records or books of accounts, etc.
The national tax survey plan further says that the FBR will carry out meetings with all stakeholders before launching of the survey for taking business community into confidence. The 20 teams of the FBR will prioritise identification of the commercial areas for survey of shops, departmental stores and retail outlets in different markets. Later, the survey teams would deliver the 'verification forms' on all business premises of markets across the country.
The Director General, Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation IR is determined to launch the tax survey, taking into account successful experiment in some cities. The field survey conducted by the Regional Tax Office (RTO) Rawalpindi during March-June 2010 showed some interesting results. The RTO discovered, through the survey, 15,694 new taxpayers and 2,372 non-filers of returns. The number of new plazas identified for booking was 650 with 115 high potential cases discovered during the survey. The survey results clearly point towards immediate survey of all cities of the country to verify whether big shopkeepers, departmental stores, retail outlets and similar kinds of business establishments are on tax roll or not, sources added.