FAISALABAD, March 19: The customs self assessment scheme is being introduced through a pilot project in Karachi during this month, which would be extended throughout the country during next 18 months. This was stated by the Chairman, Central Board of Revenue, Muhammad Abdullah Yousaf, while talking to the members of Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) here on Saturday. He said that the introduction of self assessment scheme for the custom payers was being introduced after the successful operation and implementation of the income tax self assessment scheme. He said that the CBR and other agencies concerned were trying their best to simplify the tax procedures so that maximum relief could be given to the tax-payers and the government could generate huge amounts as revenue. He claimed that the federal government had assigned the task of huge policy reforms to the CBR authorities and all out efforts were being made to complete the task. Data of traders, industrialists and all other stakeholders are being collected and transferred to a single-handled data operator so that claims and assessment files of the tax-payers could be verified, he said. “We are going to provide all facilities and services to tax-payers under a one-roof and the offices of Custom, Sales and Income tax are being set up in one Complex. Such type of office is already functioning in Karachi and these would be set up in Lahore and Islamabad soon. Twelve regional offices would also be set up in major cities of the country to resolve the problems of tax-payers speedily.”

The CBR chairman said that revolutionary changes were being brought about in the tax collection system for which suggestions and proposals had been sought from the trade representatives and renowned bodies of industrialists of the country.

He told that a policy was being formulated to resolve the sales tax refund system of exporters under which selected exporters would be exempted from the sales tax to avoid payment of refund to them. The government refunded Rs52 billion to the exporters including Rs37 billion to textile exporters during the last financial year.

He pointed out that there was dire need to enhance the net of tax payers and strengthen the tax bas system. At present, only 1.1 million are tax-payers out of which 0.4 million are the government employees.

He said that the traders and the government agencies would have to work jointly for the increase in number of taxpayers, simplification of procedural formalities and bridging the gap between the taxpayers and the taxation agencies.

Earlier, President FCCI, Mian Muhammad Adrees in his address of welcome highlighted the problems being confronted by the industrialists and traders.

He demanded for the immediate withdrawal of Section 122 of the new Income Tax Ordinance under which the Income Tax Commissioner had been empowered to reopen the assessment file of any of the taxpayer.