QUETTA: A tripartite agreement was signed on Monday between the Finance Department of Balochistan, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and 1-Link (Private) Limited for collection of provincial receipts, including sales tax, fees and levies in the province.

As per the agreement, the collection of provincial receipts would be made through the Alternative Delivery Channels (ADCs) for online tax collection.

The signing ceremony of the agreement was held at the committee room of the Finance Department in the Civil Secretariat.

Finance Secretary Abdul Rehman Buzdar signed the agreement on behalf of the provincial government while top officials of SBP and 1-Link Limited signed on behalf of their institutions.

Speaking on the occasion, Finance Minister Mir Zahoor Buledi said that the finance department had introduced the online system to bring transparency to collection of provincial receipts, facilitate the general public at large in paying government taxes, levies and fees, besides increasing provincial revenues and to reduce the budgetary deficit.

He said the collection of provincial receipts from the business community was also being digitalised in the province.

Terming the initiative historic, the minister said that in the first phase, the sales tax on services was being collected through ADCs’ e-payment system.

He said the provincial government move would help restore confidence of the people in the tax system.

The minister thanked the provincial government’s finance department, SBP and 1-Link Limited for introducing the digital system for collection of provincial tax receipts.

He said that collection of taxes through ADCs would ensure settlement of tax receipts in the treasury account on the same day, generating paperless e-scrolls (transactions details) for treasury and e-computerised payment receipts (e-CPRs) for taxpayers.

He said the digitalisation would also stimulate the provincial government’s “Ease of Doing Business” initiative by facilitating the general public and the business community in paying the government taxes, duties, fees and other levies through internet banking, mobile banking and Jazz cash etc

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2021