Nearly 10,000 shopkeepers have signed up for the Asan Tax Scheme in its first month, a review meeting on the scheme was told on Friday.
Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani chaired the meeting where officials briefed on progress and shopkeepers discussed their concerns.
Accordingto details, 9,806 shopkeepers joined the Asan Tax Scheme within one month of its launch and were at various stages of filing their tax returns.
The meeting was informed that 1,929 of those registered were joining the tax system for the first time, while 428 shopkeepers had already filed their returns. Shopkeepers from both small and major cities were among those filing returns.
Kayani directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to immediately address technical objections raised by shopkeepers and lawyers regarding implementation of the scheme.
He also directed the authorities to provide FBR plates to shopkeepers who had filed their returns at the earliest.
“The Asan Tax Scheme is a unique facility designed specifically for shopkeepers and not available to any other business segment,” Kayani said.
He expressed hope that more shopkeepers would join the scheme, saying there was no reason for them to remain non-filers after launch of this Asaan Tax scheme.
The meeting decided to ensure daily contact between traders and FBR officials to facilitate implementation of the scheme. It was also decided to further enhance engagement with tax bars and lawyers.
The meeting was informed that an Urdu-language information booklet on the Asan Tax Scheme had been issued, explaining the new scheme, the previous procedure for filing returns and details of penalties applicable after the deadline.
During the briefing, the officials said penalties would be imposed after the deadline on those failing to pay taxes under the Asan Tax Scheme or through the regular procedure.
A penalty of Rs10,000 would be imposed in the first month after the deadline, Rs25,000 in the second month and Rs50,000 in the third month.
Trader representatives assured the meeting of their full cooperation, further stated that the scheme was a good initiative and that it might take some time to create awareness amongst the shopkeepers.
Meanwhile, tax commissioners briefed participants on their engagement with tax bars in their respective areas.
The meeting was attended by trader leaders Ajmal Baloch and Kashif Chaudhry, Member Strategic Transformation Dr Hamid Atiq, Member Inland Revenue Operations Zubair Bilal and senior FBR officials.
Chief commissioners and commissioners from across the country participated through video link.
