KARACHI: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has estimated that the
number of active taxpayers will grow to 1.5 million within six months following
the launch of action against non-filers of annual income tax returns, official
sources said on Friday.
A
senior FBR official said currently the Active Taxpayers List (ATL) – 2016,
which is implemented from March 1, 2017 and would remain applicable during the
year until the issuance of the new ATL, contained the details of 1.01 million
return filers, who filed their returns for tax year 2016.
The
last updated ATL-2015 issued Monday, February 27 contained the name of 1.21
million return filers, showing a gap of 200,000 active taxpayers when compared
with the fresh ATL. The official said the gap would be filled as about 0.2
million return filers were added to ATL-2015, from its first issuance in March
2016.
The
official said the FBR had prepared the list of 0.2 million non-filers and
already started sending notices to them. “Due to enforcement of applicable
laws, number of return filers has increased significantly,” the official added.
The
FBR had estimated about 1.8 million active taxpayers for tax year 2016. The
official said it would be achieved before the issuance of next year’s ATL. In
the past two months, the FBR issued scores of notices asking taxpayers to file
their returns along with asset declaration. During the proceedings, the FBR
also raided taxpayers’ premises for obtaining record of income from non-filers,
besides freezing bank accounts.
The
business community has strongly protested the drive of the FBR and demanded
that such action by the tax departments was conducted without documentary
evidences.
The
FBR, however, after meeting with representatives of the business community
announced that no raids would be conducted without documentary evidence.
But the FBR made it clear that the audit proceedings would continue across the
board.
In
a statement issued on Friday, the FBR chairman clarified that he had not issued
any statement related to suspending audit proceedings for one month. The FBR
official said the actions against non-filers were being taken under the law,
which would contain issuance of notice, prosecution, arrest, and imprisonment.
As
per Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 the non-filers of income tax return would be
selected automatically for audit in case a taxpayer failed to file his return
after tax year 2015.
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