Federal Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin on Friday said that the government had information about people evading taxes and would soon reach them with documentary evidence.
He made these remarks while addressing the launching ceremony of the “National Sales Tax Returns” at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Headquarters in Islamabad.
“The government has the machinery and mechanism in place. We will reach out to every tax-avoider [by] using technology, and we will reach them within next few days or weeks,” warned Tarin.
He said no country could make progress without collecting taxes. Quoting the German Finance Minister, he said that those who did not pay taxes had no right to vote.
“With the help of technology, we will reach the people who are evading taxes for long, and we will tell them what their income is and what they are paying to the country,” he added.
The Minister affirmed that the tax authorities would not harass any businessmen or business entity, yet the government had all the data, including travel history, spending history, and payments of utility bills etc. “No one will be spared,” he warned.
He stressed the need for an increase in the overall number of taxpayers. The number should grow to at least 15 to 20 million people, he underlined. He remarked that the country’s economy had the potential to raise the tax-to-GDP ratio to a sustainable level.
Earlier, Chairman FBR Dr. Ashfaq Ahmed addressed the ceremony and said that FBR, for the first time in the history of the country, was bringing a package of sales tax administrative reforms.
