Quetta: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued final notices to 10,000 tax defaulters in the province; directing them to pay their taxes in order for the provincial government to meet its revenue target set for the current fiscal year (FY 2019-20), a news source reported. As per the publication, these marked individuals include non-filer entrepreneurs who own expensive vehicles and take frequent foreign trips.
According to the information available, the tax defaulters across the country had previously been directed to pay their due taxes but they did not comply. This, in turn, caused the tax authorities to miss their revenue targets that, as per FBR officials, would have had a positive impact on the country’s economy.
Now, the FBR has made the decision to take decisive action against non-filers. These accused individuals have been issued a notice under Section 144/4 of Article 2002. In addition, they have been informed that legal measures will also be taken against those who fail to pay their taxes within the prescribed time.
Previously, the FBR had announced its decision to amend the country’s taxation laws as part of the drive to penalise tax evaders. The new laws came in to effect from January 2020 onwards, and included a provision to cut the utility connections of commercial and industrial consumers if they failed to pay their taxes.
Similar steps like these
have gone a long way to help the tax authorities in widening the country’s tax
basis, and meet the revenue target that was set by the International Monetary
Fund (IMF).
