ISLAMABAD: Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday constituted a tax reforms commission with a mandate to give proposals within four months for upgrading the current taxation system and resolving issues to facilitate taxpayers.

The 20-member commission will also review, among other crucial issues, the scaling down of sales tax rate to single digits and changes in the field formation of the income tax department by reverting to the old circle-based system from the current functional lines.

The formation of the commission was unveiled in the budget 2014-15.

The commission shall undertake, review and rationalise direct and indirect taxes; rationalise customs tariff; review autonomy and administrative structure of FBR and create border force to deal with illegal movement of persons and goods across the international borders. The commission may also take up any other related issue.

The commission will review the existing laws, procedures and tax rates to recommend its simplification and plugging of loopholes in the tax administration.

The commission will comprise 20 members and may coopt any other person with prior approval of the competent authority.

The members of the commission are: Senator Usman Saifullah; MNA Mian Abdul Manan, representative of traders; Bashir Ali Mohammad, industrialist; Chairman, FPCCI or his nominee; presidents or nominees of Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta chambers; presidents of ICAP and ICMA; Mirza Qamar Baig, ex-federal secretary representing Balochistan; Prof Azhar Akram, academician; President, All-Pakistan Tax Bar Association; Ashfaq Tola, FCA; advocates Abid Shahban and Farrukh Jawad Pani; Ramzan Bhatti (Customs); Farooq Malik (IRS) and FBR chairman.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2014