KARACHI, June 27: Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan has said that taxpayers of Karachi in particular and the province in general need more facilities and respect as they contribute most to the national exchequer. After inaugurating Medium Taxpayers Unit (MTU) here on Monday, the governor said that he was pleased to see the changed environment and facilities being provided to taxpayers at the MTU, which is part of reform agenda of the Central Board of Revenue (CBR).

“I must say the MTU meets the European standards and one does not expect such an environment in a government office. I hope that these facilities would be provided to all segments of taxpayers,” he observed.

Commissioner and Project Director of the MTU Anwar Goraya speaking on the occasion said that the unit also worked on functional basis which did not only promote efficiency but also ensured transparency and under this system each function was separately handled by officers like audit, legal etc., and it also provided quality service based on judicious method.

He said the MTU had 234,594 taxpayers or 38 per cent of total taxpayers of the region and a collection of Rs16.5 billion was made up to June 18, 2005, against the target of Rs17 billion, which is 72 per cent of entire region’s revenue target.

He hoped that the MTU would exceed the revenue target as it managed to add 42,782 new taxpayers during the year against the target of 32,000 given by the Central Board of Revenue.

Mr Goraya said that it was for the first time that people started receiving refunds at the residence as about 11,000 taxpayers were paid refunds amounting to Rs210 million, whereas in the past nobody was getting a rupee refund.

Despite the fact that the MTU started its operations from December 1, 2004, it took some time to streamline the system and bring in not only physical changes by putting in good furniture and fixtures but also bring in positive change in the mindset of the officers and staff, he added. He further said that the MTU was also given the task to monitor and audit all the 75 withholding agents of the region resulting in adjustment of Rs21 million.

Regional Commissioner Income Tax, Southern Region, Abrar Ahmed speaking on the occasion said that due to consistency on part of the government a radical change had been introduced in the tax culture.

The RCIT said that in a year’s time the entire building of income tax would be converted into regional tax office for which the task had already been given to Mr Goraya.

Member Policy and Tax Reforms Khawaja Tanveer Ahmed also briefly spoke on the occasion and disclosed that the total 12 regional tax offices would start functioning in next couple of years. “Reforms agenda is an ongoing process and it requires some time to achieve certain level before reaching to an ideal situation,” he added.