ISLAMABAD, April 16: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recommended to Central Board of Revenue (CBR) to establish sales tax facilitation centres.

An official source told Dawn on Wednesday that the Fund’s recommendation came following the observation that the existing tax offices have hardly any facilities catering for a convenient, friendly and central point of access by the taxpayers.

The tax officials was also recommended to work out procedures and functioning for the proposed facilitation centres.

The official said that as part of the restructuring of the tax administration with a view to facilitate taxpayers particularly for the Universal Self Assessment Scheme (USAS), the CBR has decided to establish 5-7 facilitation centres at various locations for direct taxes.

These centres in the first step would provide services of receipt of applications for registration; issuance of NTN and changes in related information; on the spot verification as to the completeness of the application and required documentation; attestation of NIC; getting the application processed; delivery of registration or changes certificate to the taxpayers obtained from Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) or communicating the deficiency pointed out by PRAL in issuing the registration or changes certificate.

These centres would also provide education services, taxpayers interface with tax collectors, which would subsequently be integrated through networking with various offices and taxpayers would be provided even more sophisticated services at their door-steps, added the official.