Electronic filing of ST and IT returns: FBR to launch facilitation campaign

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to launch a facilitation campaign for the taxpayers to learn electronic filing of sales tax and income tax returns increasing the level of compliance by the registered persons.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Monday that the dedicated teams of FBR Facilitation and Taxpayer Education (FATE) Wing and Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) would arrange awareness seminars on e-filing of returns to facilitate the general public.
The expert teams of FATE Wing and PRAL would jointly visit the trade bodies, chambers, tax bars and Regional Tax Offices to train the taxpayers on the e-filing of returns and statements. The practical problems being faced by the registered persons during e-filing of returns would also be addressed during the seminars.
Apart from the enforcement exercise, the FBR has given top priority to the taxpayers' education and facilitation to improve the level of the compliance. In this regard, the FBR Member Facilitation and Taxpayer Education (FATE) Ms Riffat Shaheen Qazi, a BS-21 officer, is co-ordinating with different Wings of the FBR to improve the level of compliance by the registered units through proper education and training of the taxpayers. Following training of taxpayers, the level of mistakes being committed by the registered units would considerably reduce during e-filing of returns.
The FBR teams would also hear the problems of the taxpayers during their visit to the trade bodies, chambers and federations across the country. The awareness campaign on the e-filing is very necessary along with the enforcement exercise to remove apprehensions of the IT from the minds of the taxpayers. It is very easy to e-file the return and statement if done in a proper and systematic manner.
Ms Riffat Shaheen Qazi is also making serious efforts to arrange similar kind of workshops and training sessions at the Taxpayer Facilitation Centres (TFCs) and universities to educate the masses on e-filing of returns. The FBR will inform the general public that it would be more costly to live with the un-documented and un-disclosed assets as compared to the documented regime. Once the un-disclosed asset has been documented by the FBR through provisional assessment procedure, taxpayers would have to face the legal action to the due amount of tax along with penalties. Moreover, the FBR can avoid such legal complications by filing his due income tax return and accurately declare his assets in the presence of authentic third party data.
If any of the taxpayers are reluctant to electronically file their returns, the FBR will not only guide these taxpayers, but also educate them on the working of the FBR Web Portal and method to stepwise file returns to encourage documentation, sources added.
It is worth mentioning that with rich experience of reforms, Ms Riffat Shaheen Qazi would be able to supervise the whole facilitation exercise in view her past experience of working at top positions in the field formations.