ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Thursday directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to take necessary steps to bridge the trust deficit between the tax-payers and the tax-collectors to broaden the tax base in the country.
Chairing a meeting on tax reforms in the country here at Prime Minister’s Office, the prime minister observed that everyone should be encouraged to pay their taxes and thus discharge their national obligation.
The meeting was attended by special assistants to prime minister Haroon Akhter Khan and Miftah Ismail, members of Tax Reforms Commission and senior government officials.
The prime minister was briefed on various measures being taken to introduce much-needed tax reforms, broadening of tax base, incentivising and simplification of tax collection system and bringing about qualitative improvements in the auditing system.
Various proposals to make the revenue collection system more efficient and customer friendly were also discussed threadbare. The meeting also discussed the steps being taken by the FBR to facilitate tax-payers of the country.
Prime Minister Abbasi directed that the process of establishing real-time linkages of FBR with relevant organisations such as NADRA, banks, provincial authorities, and utility service providers should be expedited to make the system more efficient.
He directed that tax return forms should be further simplified and reduced to minimum possible size for the ease of common citizens and tax-filers.
The prime minister asked the FBR to undertake systemic and broad-based reforms in consultation with all stakeholders rather than a piecemeal approach.
