FBR to tax Afghan traders working in Pakistan

[CLIPPER4LIFE]

FBR to tax Afghan traders working in Pakistan
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Riaz Daudzai
Thursday, April 21, 2011


PESHAWAR: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is considering bringing Afghan nationals doing business in Pakistan into tax net, said Khawar Khurshied, member Inland Revenue Service, speaking at the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) on Wednesday.

He said the FBR was facing some technical problems to tax Afghans doing business in Pakistan, as they could not be issued the National Tax Number (NTN) because they do not have the national identity cards.

This is one of the factors affecting the process to bring the Afghan businessmen into the tax net, he said.

Khurshid said that the FBR was weighing all options, including issuing NTN to those holding Refugee Cards and involvement of Kafeels as practiced in some Middle East countries.

He admitted that they were facing problems in taxing Afghans, as there exists no system in the country to tax foreigners, who were so far tax exempted. Nonetheless a way out would soon be found to tax Afghans, he said.

Final decision would be taken at a meeting soon to take up the measures to expand the tax base.

SCCI President Usman Bilour urged upon the Inland Revenue Service (IRS) not to waste more time and take steps to bring Afghan businessmen into the tax net for which the Chamber will provide all kinds of assistance to the FBR.

“Only in Peshawar around 12,000 Afghan nationals were pursuing various types businesses and they were not paying any tax,” Bilour said quoting an official survey.

The FBR official assured that the Prime Minister’s Relief package for the revival of the economy of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be implemented, “the delay was caused due to the confusion in the language of the SROs, but soon the grievances of the business community would be addressed.”

Khurshid asked the Director General of the Regional Tax Office to ensure implementation of the PM’s package to provide relief to the people of militancy-hit province. Speaking on the occasion, businessmen including Zahid Shinwari, Muhammad Ishaq, Nauman Wazir, Malik Niaz, Zia Sarhadi took exception into the delay in refund of sale tax and income tax.

 

[CLIPPER4LIFE]

No racism towards any afghans here but, many afghans have been living in Pakistan as refugees even though they are involved in a lot of the business and have been successful. EX. transportation business. I think everyone should pay their taxes, so we can solve our debt problem

 

[Ahmad]

No racism towards any afghans here but, many afghans have been living in Pakistan as refugees even though they are involved in a lot of the business and have been successful. EX. transportation business. I think everyone should pay their taxes, so we can solve our debt problem

there is nothing racism in this, if you work somewhere and make money, they pay the tax to the authorities, but the dilema of pakistan is its tax evasion culture, if that is one day solved, i am sure everybody will pay tax.

 

[CLIPPER4LIFE]

yea the tax evasion is really hurting our economy, and thus making us rely on foreign countries for loans...