ISLAMABAD, Feb 8: Federal Board of Revenue Chairman M Abdullah Yousuf said on Friday that a data warehouse was being established for transparent audit of taxpayers.

“This facility will enable tax officials to locate those who conceal their income to evade taxes,” he said, while speaking to employees at the Regional Tax Office, Rawalpindi.

The FBR had suspended audit of taxpayers a few years back owing to charges of corruption on auditors, and almost all returns were accepted as part of the Universal Self-Assessment Scheme.

The FBR chairman said that the corporate sector filed 14,000 returns till Jan 31 through e-filing. He further stated that for the first time, 100 per cent corporate returns have been filed electronically which was a great success of the department.

He said revenue collection has doubled, and the number of returns which was around one million a few years back, was now over two million.

The target of achieving 200 per cent growth had been achieved during the last three consecutive years, he said, adding attention, however, should now be paid to enforce tax-to-GDP ratio which is one of the lowest in the region.

The FBR chief ruled out any possibility of retrenchment of employees. “No employee would be sent home forcibly,” he said.

A training lab, he said, was being established at every regional tax office to train employees. He further stated that the FBR had been passing through a major process of reforms, and its success was essential for speedy economic and material development of the country.

Mr Yousuf said that of 25,000 employees of the FBR, 16,500 have already been granted double-salary package.

“We will not remove any employee, rather we will make all possible efforts to absorb them in the new system,” he said.