ISLAMABAD: The Inter­national Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to carry on reforms within the tax administration to create more avenues for revenue collection.

A delegation of the post-programme monitoring mission led by IMF’s Harold Finger met Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Revenue Haroon Akhtar Khan on Monday.

The delegation held discussions with FBR officials on different aspects of the economy, its growth and the revenue collection body’s contribution towards it.

An official statement issued after the meeting said that Mr Finger appreciated the increase in the number of tax filers. However, he stressed the need for optimally utilising available third-party data for bringing more people into the tax net.

At the same time, Mr Finger stressed the need for making concerted efforts to plug leakages and create more avenues for revenue collection.

The IMF delegation head also highlighted the need for taxpayer facilitation, building trust and creation of tax culture along with revenue-generating measures. He also pointed out the need for enhanced coordination of federal and provincial revenue authorities.

Mr Finger lauded the efforts of the government, appreciating the healthy economic growth shown by Pakistan. He was appreciative of the momentum that was built last year and has continued in this financial year. The delegate specifically acknowledged the growth in revenue collection.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2017