PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) has collected Rs13.97 billion taxes during the first eight months of the current fiscal.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Finance minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra claimed in two years time KPRA revenue had jumped from Rs5.4 billion to Rs14 billion, which was an increase of 161 per cent. Mr Jhagra said with record February revenue of Rs1.8 billion, KPRA was on track to easily beat its target of Rs20 billion for 2020-21. “The last six months have resulted in minimum revenue of Rs1.6 billion, showing extraordinary consistency and growth as a result of sustained reform,” he said.

He said February had shown sustained growth despite infrastructure development cess being down due to Torkham border closure on the Afghan side due to a strike for most of the month.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2021