KARACHI, Aug 19: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) is setting up Sales Tax Service Centres at different trade bodies offices to facilitate exporters in filing of their refund claims.

These centres will enable exporters to pass the information with regard to sales tax refund claims electronically to the computerized processing system of the CBR.

The first such centre has started functioning from Tuesday at the Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (Prgmea) office.

The service centre will receive sales tax refund claims from over 1200 Prgmea members from all over the country and would pass them electronically to the computerized processing system of the CBR.

The arrangements for the working of the service centre were discussed at a meeting between chairman Prgmea Zubair Parekh and Collector Sales Tax (West), Sohail Afzal.

Giving details of the functioning of the service centre Abdul Wahaid Bandukda, chairman Prgmea sales tax sub-committee said that the service centre would not only facilitate members for filing claims at their association office but the CBR would keep the centre informed of the status of the claims.

This facility, he said, would also immediately enable the CBR to point out objection or missing document in the filed refund application by an exporter.

The most valuable information to be provided by the service centre to Prgmea members will be about the position of any claims in the list of payment of refund cheques. The CBR would also provide weekly information to the Prgmea centre on the number of claims submitted and the amount sanctioned for each claim.

The collector sales tax Sohail Afzal speaking on the occasion said that the arrangement of sales tax service centre is another step for transparency in payment of refund claims.

The Prgmea chairman Zubair Parekh said that this facility is free of cost and it could be availed by other exporters as well.