May 29, 2002	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 16,1423

ISLAMABAD, May 28: The tax authorities will be giving briefing to Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz on Wednesday for consideration of budget proposals.

Well-placed sources told Dawn on Tuesday that nine CBR members will give tax-wise presentation on proposals received from the stakeholders for consideration in the next budget.

The CBR has received proposals from all chambers of commerce and industry and other associations which after the vetting will be made part of the budget.

Sources said that it had already been decided to bring down the maximum tariff to 25 per cent from the next fiscal, while the tariff structure for other items will be scaled down by 5 to 10 per cent.

The sources said that various proposals regarding the tariff rationalization have been received, which after discussion with the finance minister will be finalized.

According to the sources, the proposal of amnesty scheme for non-duty paid vehicle was also likely to be discussed in the meeting. The proposal of reducing GST from 20 per cent to 15 per cent on most of the items will also be discussed.