Sudden re-shuffling of a large number of key officials in Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) would further put a big dent on the existing fragile system that has failed to facilitate the taxpayers. It was not an appropriate time to make adjustments that may have left a negative impact on the tax collection system which needs to be improved for generation of tax revenues and broadening tax base, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President said in a statement.
He was of the view that FBR has set a huge target of tax collection of 1952 billion, which does not seem to be realistic and achievable because of the prevailing uncongenial business environment and inconsistency in the tax system. President ICCI emphasized that Government must also address the element of corruption from FBR, by ensuring proper working of e-filing system and reducing direct contact of taxpayers with the tax collection machinery. He cited the example of loopholes in the online system of Sales Tax collection, saying that it was not functioning properly, as a result Government has extended the deadline several times.
Mahfooz stressed that errors in the Sales Tax collection must be addressed on a priority basis, otherwise Government may loose considerable revenue lagging behind the set tax targets. The re-shuffling of experienced FBR officials could prove fatal, as incoming people perhaps could take more time for making adjustments within the new setup, he added.
