THIS government is resorting to what amounts to robbery. It was announced, and has been practised, that when a shareholder of a company gets his dividend, a tax is deducted at the rate of 10pc for filers of income tax and 15pc for the people who do not file their returns.

On my dividends, as I have been a taxpayer since the mid-1970s, it was usually deducted at 10pc. Suddenly, they have started deducting 15pc. On asking, I am told that my name is not on ‘active taxpayers list’.

This is very strange because I was included in the list issued in March, but suddenly I was not there in April.What has changed between March and April? There hasn’t been any tax return date in this period.

On inquiry, I found out that I was not alone, but thousands of others who suffered from the the same problem.

Out of the so many people in the country, only a handful of them pay their taxes because the government is unwilling or unable to increase its tax base and keeps turning the screws on those who file their returns and pay their dues. This is outrageous.

A taxpayer
Karachi

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2015

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