KARACHI: The Finance Minister, Mr Mohammad Shoaib, said yesterday [May 2] that the Government was actively trying to devise ways and means to punish those guilty of tax evasion.

He called for eradication of the problem of tax evasion — a problem which in the national interest had to be tackled effectively through concerted efforts of all concerned, he emphasised.

Mr Shoaib was speaking at the annual dinner of the Pakistan Taxation Service Association held at the Beach Luxury Hotel last night. The dinner was attended by Begum Shoaib and other ladies, besides members of the Association and some guests including Mr Abdul Qadir, a former Finance Minister.

The Minister, while complimenting the Association for the services rendered, advised the members to maintain its dignity and prestige by helping to locate the “real culprits” of tax evasion and, thus, eliminate the evil of tax evasion completely.

He told the Association members that, as pointed out in the welcome address, the major source of tax evasion belonged elsewhere but, he said, the real tax evaders could not get away with their malpractices unless they got support and assistance from “certain quarters”.

Earlier, Mr A.R. Fazli, Director, Inspection, Central Board of Revenue, and President of the Association, while welcoming the Finance Minister, said: “We as a service are conscious of the problem of tax evasion and have dedicated ourselves to eradicate it as quickly as possible.” He, however, felt that the real culprits lay elsewhere, and the problem, he pointed out, could not be solved unless some deterrent punishment were introduced.

Mr Fazli praised Mr Shoaib’s efforts in putting the economy of the country “on the right pattern” and assured him that the Association, on its part, has dedicated itself to the task of economic reconstruction.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2016