LAHORE: Punjab’s Finance Minister Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha on Tuesday said the number of taxpayers in the province had increased by 46,000, which was a positive sign toward the revenue generation goals.

The minister expressed these remarks while addressing a pre-budget conference ‘2018-19: Tax Reforms in Pakistan’, organised by School of Commerce and Accountancy at University of Management and Technology (UMT).

She said the number of taxpayers could be multiplied. “We need to change our perception of tax and the budget by keeping in mind that the more people pay taxes, the better would be lifestyle and facilities,” she added.

The minister said when the number of taxpayers expands, every budget whether it was provincial or federal turns to be more attractive, more meaningful and public-friendly.

Shading light on the Punjab government’s policies, Dr Ayesha said the government was taking many initiatives to restore confidence between taxpayers the government.

She said the government wants to provide maximum opportunities of health, education and other basic facilities to masses, but it was also the responsibility of every citizen to change their traditional way of thinking about tax ratio and GDP.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2018