Speakers underscore need for efficient role of ADRC

Speakers at a discussion forum stressed the need for an effective and efficient Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee (ADRC) for Sindh sales tax matters in order to reduce disputes and litigations. Eminent scholars, professionals, economists, tax experts and the representatives of all provincial revenue authorities expressed these views at a discussion forum organised by Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) at a hotel, here.
They highlighted the need for aforesaid committee (ADRC) on Sindh sales tax matters saying that would help reduce disputes and litigations.
They lauded the performance of SRB in the collection of sales tax on services, expansion of tax base and reduction in tax rates and emphasised that the tax base should be expanded with simultaneous reduction of tax rates.
Those who spoke included: former judges Athar Saeed and Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui, chairman, SRB Appellate Tribunal, Khalid Mahmood, chairman, Sindh Revenue Board, Mushtaque Kazimi, advisor, Sindh Revenue Board, Asad Ali Shah, managing partner, Deloitte, Shabbar H. Zaidi, senior partner, A.F. Ferguson & Co, Yusuf Afridi, Director General, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority, Kamran Ahmad, member, Punjab Revenue Authority, Saad Kakar, manager, Balochistan Revenue Authority and others.
They were of the view that the services in all the sectors, including the education, health, wholesale, retail sector and distribution sectors and the sectors involving luxuries and extravagance (such as marriage halls and lawns, clubs, beauty parlours, etc) should be taxed in a manner that the incidence should not fall on the lower and lower-middle class segments of society. They also emphasised that taxpayers be provided facilitation and education with simplification of laws, rules, procedures and forms. They stressed the need of regular contact and interaction between the provincial tax administrations to avoid any double taxation and to ease doing business for the taxpayers.