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ISLAMABAD, May 20: The government is to introduce next fiscal year a set of radical measures to improve revenue services, provide speedy clearances and put in place a complete system of electronic preparation , submission and assessment of declarations, it is learnt.
Finance ministry sources told Dawn that idea of the new measures is to maximize self-assessment, provide the speedy clearances to those that have proved and maintained dependability and limit fact-to-face contact.
The system would enable electronic preparation and submission of declarations, internet and EDI transmission, selection of declaration for audit based on risk analysis and electronic assessment. Four new wings or divisions would be created under the plan.
This has been agreed to with the world bank on May 18 under Pakistan Tax Administration Reform Project. The project will be in place latest by September 30 this year.
COLLECTION AND ENFORCEMENT WING: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) would establish a Collection and Enforcement wing at the head office, which will be responsible for providing direction, developing policies and procedures and providing support to regional operations.
It will be responsible for enforcement and collection, monitoring of filing and payments including withholding taxes, demand outstanding returns, recovery of outstanding taxes, imposing interest and penalties, conduct international and external surveys and collect data on taxpayers assets to aid eventual enforced collection.
An integral part of the collection and enforcement wing will be development of a computer system and tax database that will facilitate the collection of taxes. This will issue notices, calculate interests and penalties and identify non-filers.
APPEALS AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION: A new and single quasi- judicial forum will be put in place to process appeals and adjudication issues in a fair, expeditious and transparent manner. This will be the single avenue of appeal for all kinds of taxes.
CBR's member legal will be responsible for developing this national appeals programme and its associated procedure, and staff at the local level will be responsible for implementing them. The national appeals and adjudication plan will be uniformly administered across the different tax disciplines and will preserve and enhance the tax-payers rights to appeal.
