KARACHI
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has defaulted on at least Rs 47 billion of sales tax refunds claimed by the exporters, Pakistan Today has learnt from reliable sources.
Exporters are irked at ‘illegal’ audit notices issued by the audit division of the FBR which has also asked for the submission of sales tax record records from the previous five years.
The notices, mostly issued this month through the Regional Tax Office, asked exporters to submit additional documentation such as records of exports and purchases along with invoices of payments, list of machineries, utility bills, bank statements along with proof of payments and receipts for the transactions within seven days of the notice date.
“The FBR is yet to refund the exporters over Rs 47 billion on account of Sales Tax claims,” Jawed Bilwani, former Zonal Chairman of Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA), told Pakistan Today Saturday.
He is also the Coordinator of Value-Added Textile Forum. The exporter complained that the FBR, despite possessing its internal records, frequently demanded exporters produce their audit documents.
“Several of our fellow exporters have received Audit Notices and it is a matter of mounting concern,” stated the Central Chairman PHMA Saleem Parekh in correspondence with Sohail Ahmed, his counterpart in FBR on Oct 19.
The PHMA chief slammed FBR officials of the Audit Division who, he claimed, were ignorant of the legal point that the submission of records extending to a period of more than five years was “illegal and against the law”. Parekh asked the FBR chairman to reprimand officials issuing such notices delivered without sanction to exporters who were already under great pressure from a multitude of problems prevailing in the economy.
