NA body approves tax amnesty scheme

Controversial tax amnesty scheme (Tax Laws Amendment Bill 2013) after getting support from Pakistan Muslim LeagueN has bee unanimously approved by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue.

The National Assembly Committee on Finance, Revenue and planning and development has also approved Cost and Management Amendment Bill 2013.

The meeting of the standing committee held here on Tuesday with Khawaja Sohail Mansoor in the chair for detailed discussions over tax laws in the country. During the meeting Khawaja Sohail Mansoor and Abdul Rasheed Godil strongly opposed the tax amnesty scheme and walkout from the meeting.

During the meeting Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Ali Arshad Hakeem said that FBR has identified 2.9 million tax evaders in the country in which 2.2 million are non NTN holders while 0.7 million are NTN holder non filers. He said that during current year 0.7 million people has paid tax and almost 0.5 million are among salaried segment. Chairman FBR said that only third of the population pays tax and after tax amnesty scheme this ratio would be increased by 2.2% and country would generate Rs 125- Rs 150 billion revenue from it. He informed the Standing committee that eleven thousand companies in the country are tax payers. Under the Tax Amnesty scheme tax evader would be easily identified and his/her CNIC would be blocked within 75 days, Hakeem informed.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi from PML-N proposed to initiate implementation of this new scheme from Parliamentarians and it should be made public that how many parliamentarians pay tax.

Federal Minister on Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira opposed it and said that this mechanism is not right as if few parliamentar- ians left in tax paying then it would become an issue and dignity of the parliament would be affected.

He suggested to give an amount of tax collected from Parliamentarians and it should be made public. This suggestion was accepted by the legislative body and during the meeting Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Saleem H Mandviwalla directed Chairman FBR Ali Arshad Hakeem to follow this mechanism and public the figure.

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Saleem H Mandviwalla said that international monitory institutions have lauded the tax reforms of the government.

He said that 2.2 million people have no NTN no while 0.7 million NTN holder do not pay tax adding that, after legislation tax net would be expanded and maximum revenue would be generated for the country.