Islamabad: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to send tax notices via SMS to citizens’ on their mobile phones — with the board also looking to provide legal cover for this information-dissemination mechanism by amending the Income Tax Rules, 2002, according to a news source published on November 24. Reportedly, a draft formed for the purpose has already been shared with all relevant stakeholders.
As per the notice sent to the stakeholders, they have been asked to share their feedback on the said proposed amendment within 7 days of receiving the original notification. Any suggestions sent after the deadline has expired will not be considered by the authority. The planned amendment in the tax rules is meant to ensure compliance from the taxpayers, many of whom claim to have not received the notices send by the board or the other concerned authorities.
The draft proposes that the intimation sent via SMS to the registered numbers of the taxpayers will be considered equivalent to being served with a document by the commissioner or the chief commissioner. As per the current tax laws, the FBR’s communication with the taxpayers via SMS have no legal grounds. However, the proposed amendment will allow the FBR to seek any related document from the filers and non-filers or communicate with them via SMS, giving this communication model full legal cover.
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