Sindh government to put CVT, infrastructure tax on automation

After the success story of online collection of sales tax on services, Sindh government has decided in principle to put two more provincial taxes including Capital Value Tax (CVT) and Infrastructure Tax (IT) on automation, sources told Business Recorder on Monday.
Sindh government took this decision in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah at Chief Minister House a few days back. Officials of Sindh Revenue Board (SRB), Excise and Taxation, Board of Revenue, Finance Department and others attended this meeting. Officials of SRB briefed the Chief Minister saying that Sindh government can put more taxes on automation ,which would bring more transparency in the collection of taxes. They offered the services of SRB in this regard, sources said.
The CM agreed with the briefing of SRB officials and accepted their proposal to provide technical assistance to concerned departments in order to put two provincial taxes including CVT and IT on the automation, sources said. After the approval by the competent authority, the SRB officials started their work to put the two taxes on automation which will be completed very soon.
Sources said that after the launching of said computerised system, SRB would play the role of technical co-co-ordinator on this subject while, the collection would be done by the mother departments--Board of Revenue and Excise and Taxation. So far, yearly collection of CVT is about Rs 2 billion while the Excise and Taxation department's yearly collection is about Rs 11 billion in the head of Infrastructure tax, sources informed.
With putting both taxes on computerised system, the collection would be increased and it would be more transparent because human hand's involvement would be reduced at highest level, sources claimed. Sources expressed fear that Board of Revenue and Excise and Taxation are very much lucrative departments in the eyes of officers of Sindh government so that when they will hear about this new decision they would definitely create hurdles in the way of putting taxes on automation. It is reported that a large number of officers of other departments are working in said departments on deputation basis because lucrative jobs, sources added.