PESHAWAR: The business community has urged the Federal Board of Revenue to further simplify the taxation system to facilitate the traders in filing their tax returns.

Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry acting president Ijaz Khan Afridi made the demand while speaking at an awareness seminar on ‘tax management system and e-filing of returns’ held here on Friday.

SCCI and FBR‘s Regional Tax Office (RTO) Peshawar jointly organised the seminar, according to a statement.

Mr Afridi called for broadening the existing tax base and bringing more people into the tax net instead of further burdening the existing taxpayers. He said traders were the backbone for the country’s economy so they should be facilitated, especially by simplifying the taxation system, to help achieve the revenue collection target for the ongoing fiscal year.

RTO Peshawar Riaz Ahmad and IT expert Asif Ali Shah informed the participants regarding reforms in the existing taxation system, particularly bringing more ease in filing of returns through the e-filing system.

RTO officials said prosperity and development of the business community guaranteed economic stability.

Riaz Ahmad said FBR was an earning institute for the country, which had conducted actions for collection of taxes under the relevant laws. He clarified it didn’t mean that FBR took actions to add to the miseries of taxpayers.

The senior official said RTO Peshawar was providing services to taxpayers under a one-window operation.

Mr Ahmad said the country’s economic prosperity depended on collection of revenue through taxes. He urged the participants to create awareness about the FBR that the institution only carried out actions for tax collection according to relevant laws and collection of other taxes by various federal and provincial authorities didn’t come under its ambit.

The RTO Peshawar and IT expert Asif Ali Shah through multimedia presentations briefed the participants about the reforms in taxation system and procedure for e-filing of returns.

SCCI acting chief Ijaz Afridi thanked RTO Peshawar for organising such an informative session on tax management system and e-filing of returns.

He hoped the session would help remove difficulties in filing of tax returns.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2023