Tax Return filing system to be made more simple, understandable: Shabbar Zaidi

ISLAMABAD: Chairman of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Syed Shabbar Zaidi on Thursday said that one of the major objectives of FBR was to make the tax system simpler, understandable and implementable.

“We want to enhance the reforms and automation of the institution to introduce the best international practices in FBR for providing best facilities to the tax filers and tax payers,he told APP here.

He said FBR will simplify the tax system to make it easy for common people to increase the tax net in the country.

He said the FBR wanted to take the automation level up to international standard of 60 percent to speed up the system of the Board.

The Chairman FBR said that automation in institution was top priority of the government, adding that automation reforms would cover the customs and sales tax in all the relevant areas.

He said that reforms and automation process had already been initiated by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to improve its performance.

Replying to question, regarding the refunds, Shabbar Zaidi said the government had allowed purchasing bonds against their refunds to facilitate the local industry.

Replying to another question, he again clarified that there was no tax on flour and other editable items and price hike in the market was the subject of market price committee to maintain the price of food item and stop the artificial price hike.

He added that sugar was the only consumer’s item that had been additionally taxed, which had gone up from 11pc to 17pc.

He informed that after abolishing zero rating regime for textile sector, the exporters of textile would be exempted from paying any taxes on textile products.