Taxes, levies of B’stan: Tripartite agreement signed for receipts collection

QUETTA: A tripartite agreement was signed between the Balochistan Finance Department, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and 1-Link (Private) Limited for collection of the provincial receipts including sales tax, fees and levies in the province.

As per the agreement, the collection of the provincial receipts would be made through the Alternate Delivery Channels (ADC) online tax collection.

The signing ceremony of tripartite agreement was held at the committee room of Finance Department located in the Civil Secretariat on Monday.

The Secretary Finance, Abdul Rehman Buzdar signed the agreement on behalf of GOB while high ups of the SBP and 1-Link Limited signed on behalf of their respective institutions.

Provincial Minister for Finance Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi as well as other concerned high ups including Special Secretary Finance, Lal Jan Jaffar, Managing Director Banking Services, SBP, Muhammad Ashraf Khan, Director Finance, SBP, Qadir Bakhsh, Chief Executive Officer, 1-Link Limited, Najeeb Agra wala, were in attendance to see signing of the agreement meant for transforming the province into “Digital Balochistan.”

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister Finance Mir Zahoor Buledi said that the Finance Department has introduced the online system to bring transparency in provincial receipts, facilitate the general public at large in paying government taxes, levies and fees besides increasing the provincial revenues and to reduce the budgetary deficit, in pursuance of vision of the Chief Minister, Jam Kamal Khan.

He said that the outdated system of collection of provincial receipts from the business community is being digitalized in the province.

Terming the initiative as historic, the Minister Finance maintained that in the first phase, the government of Balochistan’s sales tax on services is being collected through the ADCs e-Payment system.

He said not only the tax payers would be facilitated in payment of taxes, but it would also help restore their confidence on the tax system.

The finance minister thanked the Finance department, SBP and 1-Link Limited for introducing the digital system of collection of the provincial receipts.

Needless to mention here is that the Finance Department in collaboration with the SBP and 1-Link Limited had developed and implemented the ADCs e-Payment System for collection of fees, taxes and levies.

The collection of taxes through ADCs brings huge efficiency gains by ensuring same day settlement of tax receipt in the treasury account, generating paperless e-scrolls (transactions details) for treasury and Computerized Payment Receipts (e-CPRs) for taxpayers.

The automation will also stimulate the Provincial Government’s “Ease of Doing Business” initiative by facilitating the general public including the business community in paying Government taxes, duties, fees and other levies through internet banking, mobile banking, 15,000 plus ATMs, easy paisa, jazz cash and Over The Counter (OTC) facility of around 16,000 branches of all commercial banks across Pakistan.

Going forward, the Government is fully committed to digitize/automate other taxes and levies including excise, traffic challans, payments in respect of local/domicile certificates etc. through ADC e-Payment System.