Achi news desk-
LAHORE (APP) – Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that the country has the potential to collect revenue of over Rs 24 trillion against the annual tax target of Rs 9.4 trillion.
He said an amount of around three times the annual revenue target was ‘going down the drain’ due to corruption, inefficiency and neglect.
This huge sum, he said, could be used to pay off debts, build hospitals, schools, universities and roads in the country.
Addressing a ceremony to award shields to honest, hard-working and efficient officers of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) here, the prime minister said that time has come to separate white from black, and to make reward and punishment decisions only. merit as no nation could develop without strictly following the criteria of discipline for government officials.
The prime minister pointed out that Pakistan was facing multiple challenges including a low tax to GDP ratio and external and internal debts that were increasing daily. Regarding the amount worth Rs 2.7 trillion held across various appellate forums, including commissioner appeals, the Appellate Tribunal for Inland Revenue (ATIR) and various courts, he said now the law has been made to recover such amounts .
He said that under the new law, ATIR members, equivalent to high court judges, would be appointed through open competition and their tests and interviews would be conducted through reputable institutions such as LUMS, IBA etc.
The prime minister said that those members would also get high benefits and privileges equivalent to the senior judges. Pointing to another Rs 756 billion sales tax scam recently unearthed by the FBR, the prime minister said he has directed the concerned authorities to do everything possible to recover such looted money.
Earlier, the prime minister gave the shields to the honest and hardworking officers of the FBR and said that he felt proud that the country had enough such honest officers who could play their due role in the development and prosperity of the country. He said that all politicians, bureaucrats, and heads of institutions should work together in order to develop the country.
He said the sole aim of this ceremony was to encourage the country’s heroes, who worked hard with honesty to reach the tax targets. “This factor would increase in the future and the officers would only be fully recognized on the basis of their honesty, efficiency, hard work and sincerity towards the nation,” he added.
Regarding the tracking and tracing system, the prime minister emphasized that it is one of the main frauds in the history of the country. The prime minister said that he always tries to be fair in governance and reiterated his commitment to put the country on a path of prosperity and development. “We, with our constant and unwavering determination, will leave India far behind.”
Speaking on the occasion, the Finance and Revenue Minister, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, said that revenue collection plays a vital role in socio-economic development, adding that it is an important source of running government business.
He said that policies have been formulated for the expansion of the country’s tax base, adding that it is time to implement these policies with full efficiency, transparency and honesty to transform the national economy on the fast track of economic development and growth.
The minister, emphasizing the need to strengthen tax collection and promote a tax culture, said there were about 3 million commercial and industrial electricity and gas connections and only 200,000 of them were paying their Sales Tax.
FBR Chairman Amjad Zubair Tiwana thanked the prime minister for recognizing the hard work of his officers. He said that the prime minister took a great interest in boosting the tax revenue and that he had held several meetings in this regard.
