State Minister for Finance Rana Muhammad Afzal Khan on Saturday said the federal budget 2018-19 will be business-friendly and utmost efforts would be made to make it tax free. He was addressing a function at the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) in which draft of budget proposals were presented to him. The minister said that no doubt the government was facing multiple challenges but our effort was to continue the existing pace of economic.
Underlining the importance of industrial sector, he said the government fully understood that progress and prosperity was directly linked with industrial growth and he would visit Karachi, Sukkhar, Peshawar and other cities to discuss matters of mutual interest with all sectors of economy.
He said the government would formulate the budget without any ad hoc or short term benefits. "We are hoping to return in the government in coming general elections and hence we don't want to create any economic problems for the next government", he said and added that political governments always prefer to avoid new taxation. "We will try our best to enhance revenue by improving the existing tax recovery system in the country", he added.
Regarding attitude of the tax collectors, Rana Muhammad Afzal said that being a businessman, he himself feel that the attitude of tax collectors should be improved and in this connection a systematic effort would be made by restricting direct contact between the tax payers and tax collectors.
He said the FBR would be requested to bring each and every person with taxable income into the tax net respectfully. He added the FCCI should also cooperate in this drive and request its members to pay taxes voluntarily if they fall within the requisite slab of income tax.