KARACHI: Finance and Revenue Minister Shaukat Tarin has invited businessmen to visit Islamabad to discuss reservations on the recently promulgated tax laws allowing the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to share its data with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to broaden the tax base.

He said all issues of businessmen would be resolved on the spot by arranging meetings with the Prime Minister Imran Khan and other relevant ministries.

“We will instantly give deadlines for all the pending policies as the premier is determined to revive business, industrial and agricultural activities”, the minister said in a meeting with the leadership of Businessmen Group and Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) held here on Sunday.

Mr Tarin categorically stated that victimisation was definitely not the purpose of the Tax Laws (Third Amendment) Ordinance 2021 which was purely for non-filers and those under-filers who file zero tax, said a KCCI press release.

Mr Tarin expressed his concern that out of a total of 2.9 million filers, one million are those who file tax returns and show zero taxable income.

“We are intending to take help of artificial intelligence to examine electricity, gas, telephone bills along with banking transactions and other details of such filers and classify them as under-filers who will be asked to submit their taxes through a third party,” he said.

He assured the businessmen that the Drawback of Local Taxes and Levies (DLTL) has been extended and it would not be discontinued while the business community is going to get its entire claim on time as funds for the purpose have already been allocated in the budget.

The pending DLTL claims of Rs32 billion of the last fiscal year would also be settled in the next six months, he added.

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2021