The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement could serve as an important first step towards developing a broader regional security architecture, with its potential expansion to other countries offering prospects for greater peace and stability in the region, experts said on Wednesday.
Retailers Scheme App launched: Aurangzeb reaffirms resolve to simplify tax system
ISLAMABAD, Aug 19 (APP):Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday reiterated the government’s firm resolve to simplify the tax return system to facilitate taxpayers and promote a culture of tax compliance in the country.
Addressing a joint press conference with Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani after the launch of the Retailers Scheme App introduced by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Senator Aurangzeb said that the revenue-collecting authorities were making strides to simplify tax returns for the salaried class as well, further facilitating them.
The minister said that the dedicated retailer app scheme was aimed at simplifying tax compliance for small shopkeepers while encouraging their voluntary entry into the formal tax system to broaden the tax base and enhance revenue collection in the country.
The Finance Minister said that the initiative had been developed through an extensive consultative process with the trader community and parliamentary committees, with the central objective of making the tax system simple, accessible and free from unnecessary harassment.
He said the government had specifically focused on addressing the longstanding demand of small traders for an easy income tax scheme, enabling them to come into the tax net with greater confidence. “The effort this time is to make the scheme simple and convenient so that small shopkeepers can feel at ease and be assured that, upon joining the tax net, they will face no harassment,” the minister said.
Aurangzeb stressed that broadening the tax base was essential for a sustainable tax system, saying every segment of society needed to become part of the mainstream economy. He said the newly launched scheme was different from previous initiatives as it distinguished between small shopkeepers and larger retail enterprises and offered traders the option of either continuing under the regular tax regime or opting for the simplified scheme.
Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb urged traders to take advantage of the initiative, saying the government’s objective was to bring every segment of the national economy into the tax system through facilitation and simplification rather than unnecessary complexity.
The minister said that the government had initiated a broader consultative process with all the stakeholders for promoting the tax compliance culture across the country as well as addressing the issues and challenges faced by the trade and business on the spot.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Bilal Azhar Kayani said the scheme had been finalized with the active participation of representatives of the trader community and had now moved from the consultative stage to practical implementation through the app.
He said the scheme was announced on June 5, while subsequent efforts focused on developing the app and other facilities for shopkeepers, adding that the consultative process with the traders continued for more than three months and finalized.
Bilal Kayani said trader representatives, including Ajmal Baloch and Kashif Chaudhary, were consulted during the development process to identify the shortcomings of previous schemes and determine how the new initiative could be made easier and more effective.
He said the objective was to make it easier for shopkeepers to become tax filers while simultaneously expanding the tax base and increasing the number of contributors to national revenue. The minister said the initiative was intended to create a “win-win” situation by increasing tax collection while reducing the compliance burden on small businesses through a simplified mechanism.
As an additional incentive, Kayani said traders joining the scheme by the due date of filing the tax returns, would receive a security-featured registration plate.He said the plate would be durable and usable for years, adding that those joining after the due date would also receive the plate, with its estimated cost not exceeding Rs1,500.
He said that the launch of the retailer scheme app represents a significant step towards promoting a culture of tax compliance by making the process simpler, more transparent and more accessible to small businesses, while supporting the government’s broader effort to widen the tax base.
FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial said that the App was simple and designed for small traders and shopkeepers to encourage them to pay their due tax with an easy and simple system.
He said that the retailers would be provided a bar-coded plate, containing all details of the tax payers and any tax official would not be allowed to enter into the premises for any investigations.
Speaking on the occasion, traders’ representatives Ajmal Baloch and Kashif Chaudhary lauded the efforts of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), describing the retailers’ scheme and its app as business-friendly. They urged the Finance Minister to introduce similar transparency in other government institutions.
They said traders had been seeking such a scheme for the past 27 years, adding that the initiative was designed according to their needs and would enable them to file their tax returns without any hurdles.
They urged the government to continue the scheme and assured that traders across the country would ensure full tax compliance by submitting their tax returns.
