LAHORE: FBR has launched single identifier number for all domestic taxes under which a taxpayer can use all applications under the income tax, sales tax and federal excise duty by mere use of CNIC if a taxpayer is an individual.
In case of partnership firms and companies, National Tax Number (NTN) shall be the common tax identifier number. In this manner the sales tax, income tax and federal excise law have been harmonised.
This is an important step toward ease of doing business and will substantially improve Pakistan’s rating on this count.
FBR has also launched a facility whereby taxpayers can now make payments without visiting the bank.
This facility is widely known as Alternate Delivery Channel (ADC) payment mode. ADC allows taxpayer to pay all federal taxes and duties from any commercial bank account through internet banking, ATM, mobile banking and contact centers.
However in the case of individual taxpayer, the alternate facility of making the payment over the counter (OTC) has still been allowed simultaneously along with ADC channel till September 30, so that no inconvenience is caused to the individual taxpayer for seamless filing of returns.
Meanwhile, local media reports state that the federal government may promulgate a presidential ordinance to hand over record of existing three million taxpayers to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) in a bid to increase tax collection.
Sources in NADRA told The Express Tribune on Wednesday that the FBR and NADRA were collaborating to make a legal amendment to the Income Tax Ordinance to relax a clause that barred the FBR from sharing information of income tax return filers with a third party.
They added a new amendment had been drafted to change the existing Section 216(3) to make room for sharing the income tax statement and wealth statement of taxpayers with NADRA.
However, speaking with the publication, NADRA’s chairman vowed to protect the taxpayers’ data from misuse, saying the data would be expunged from the NADRA system after completing the exercise.
