LAHORE: Punjab’s tax collection has increased to Rs32 billion compared to Rs8 billion a decade ago, on the back of an expanding tax net, informed Minister for Punjab Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department (ETNCD) Mujtaba Shuja ur Rahman.
The minister was the chief guest at a seminar titled ‘Taxation for Grassroots Development’ held on Wednesday at a local hotel in Lahore, organised by the Punjab ETNCD in collaboration with German development agency GIZ in order to celebrate Tax Day (April 10).
The minister informed that the increase in collections has been made possible through expanding the tax net, whereas the number of taxes and tax rates has experienced negligible change during the period.
The minister further informed that instead of issuing separate series of motor vehicle number plates for each district, the department is moving towards a single province-wide series, which will help decrease pressure on large cities of the province from where most people prefer getting their vehicles registered. In this regard, the ETNCD in collaboration with Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) has already successfully computerised and centralised data pertaining to 36 districts of the province.
Another revenue increasing measure, the department is taking is the introduction of e-auction for certain special motor vehicle registration numbers, which is set to be launched next month. Through this service, citizens with an internet connection will be able to participate in the auction of these numbers from the comfort of their homes. Moreover, the introduction of smart motor vehicle registration cards is also in the pipeline that will replace the current vehicle registration books. These smart cards will have five security features, making their forged reproduction close to impossible.
Furthermore, Shumail Saigol while addressing the gathering gave a briefing regarding the Dealer Vehicle Registration System (DVRS) introduced by the ETNCD in October 2016, in collaboration with PITB, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), SRU and car dealers. The system has been implemented in nine cities as of yet and has registered 170,000 vehicles since its initiation.
In order to make the property tax more transparent, the ETNCD is providing detailed data regarding how property tax is calculated on its website. Individual property taxpayers can enter their details on the website, which does not only provide data for tax calculation but also provides tools through which taxpayers can make the calculations themselves.
Similarly, the excise taxation department has also been 90 per cent computerised. “The whole purpose of these measures is to make the taxation process more transparent and remove negative perceptions from the minds of the citizens so that they don’t perceive tax as a burden,” the minister stated.
Shuja ur Rahman further informed that the department is initiating online tax payment services with the collaboration of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), and setting up facilitation centres, which will further facilitate taxpayers.
Chief Minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit (SRU) Director General Salman Sufi, ETNCD Secretary Ahmad Bilal, Director General (DG) Ashraf Gondal, Additional DG Masood ul Haq, System Analyst M Saleem and Programmer Faisal Shafeeq were also present on the occasion.
