FBR collects Rs 15bn against target of 12bn for FY14 in Balochistan

QUETTA: The Inland revenue department of the Federal Board of Revenue has collected Rs 15 billion, tax revenue, during the first half of the Fiscal Year 2013-14 against the revenue target of Rs 12 billion set by the government.

Notices have been issued to 1500 owners of the vehicles purchased under the immensity scheme of the government for submission of written files, said Commissioner Income Tax Balochisan Sahidzada Abdul Mateen here on Wednesday.

Talking to APP, he said that government had set revenue targets for the first half of the fiscal year as Rs 12 billion and through plugging the weaknesses and reforms tax collection system, we have been able to collect Rs 15 billion till the January 2014 in Balochistan.

Terming low literacy rate, unawareness, difficult outreach to the people living in far-flung areas and tribal society of Balochistan as major impediments in enhancing the tax network, he said that drastic measures were being put in place to broaden the taxpayer?s network.

Mateen said that for not paying the withholding ten percent taxes, plenty of notices have been served to hotel owners, private schools and marriage hall administration. Rs 400 million tax revenue was recovered from Reko Dic in recent past while on account of nonpayment of taxes, the account of Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) was also seized.

Stressing the need for improvement in the resources available with FBR office in Balochistan, he said there is need to mobilise our resources for the economic progress of the country.

Commissioner emphasized that government has devised new tax policy to ensure that the taxes are collected from each person according to his or her capacity. He said that tax to GDP ratio in our neighboring countries is 13 percent whereas the same in Pakistan is 9 percent. With reform policies and steps taken by the incumbent government, tax to GDP ratio would proportionally be increased.

To expand the taxpayer net FBR is in contact with the WASA, SSGC, Excise and Taxation department and other relevant departments to get the data and take bring them in the taxation network.

He noted that FBR has its sub offices in Hub and Sibi while government has been asked to allocate piece of land in Gwadar for FBR office.

To a question Abdul Mateen said that FBR has initiated rewarding system under which individual who comes up with information along with documentary proof of tax defaulters would be awarded 25 percent of the tax collected from the defaulter.