A review meeting on the implementation of the Easy Tax Scheme for shopkeepers was held under the chairmanship of State Minister for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani.
The meeting decided that officers of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), in coordination with trader representatives, would begin mapping markets and shops across the country from Friday.
The state minister directed the FBR officers to work with trader representatives for the mapping of markets and each shop. He also directed that shopkeepers should be informed about the Easy Tax Scheme during the mapping exercise.
Bilal Azhar Kayani further instructed that, according to a daily schedule, FBR officers should visit markets along with trader representatives.
The meeting was briefed that the technical issue relating to the “other income” column in the return, identified by traders through complaints, had been resolved.
Addressing the meeting, the state minister said shopkeepers had been given a scheme of their choice, and there was now no justification for not filing tax returns. He said penalties had been set with the consent and consultation of shopkeepers.
He urged shopkeepers to take advantage of the 15-day extension in the date for filing tax returns. He said that after the expiry of the deadline, a shopkeeper would have to pay a penalty of Rs10,000 in the first month, Rs25,000 in the second month and Rs50,000 in the third month.
The meeting reviewed in detail the implementation of the Easy Tax Scheme and the progress made so far. It was also decided that the series of review meetings on the implementation of the scheme would continue.
Trader leaders Ajmal Baloch, Kashif Chaudhry and Habib Fakhruddin attended the meeting. Member Strategic Transformation Dr Hamid Ateeq, Member Inland Revenue Operations Zubair Bilal and senior FBR officials were also present, while chief commissioners and commissioners from across the country participated through video link.
