FBR Directs Traders to Pay Taxes Instead of Announcing Strikes

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Tuesday categorically conveyed to the traders’ community that Tajir Dost Scheme would be implemented at any cost and traders have to be registered and pay their due amount of taxes.

In a statement, FBR said that strikes and shutter down would not have any effect on the Tajir Dost Scheme. Traders’ bodies that have announced shutter down strike did not participate in the meeting held at the FBR House on Tuesday. The traders’ bodies are set to go on a shutter-down strike on Wednesday.

However, pro-government traders’ associations and some others participated in the meeting through video link. Traders from Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, and Gujranwala attended the meeting at the FBR.

At the conclusion of the meeting with selected traders’ bodies at the FBR Headquarters, the Chief Coordinator of the Tajir Dost Scheme Naeem Mir informed the media that the FBR has agreed to amend the scheme as per recommendations of the traders. The scheme would be amended keeping in view the demands of the traders’ community going on strike on Wednesday.

However, the FBR Chairman has given a loud and clear message to the traders going on strike that the scheme would not be withdrawn. The scheme would be implemented at any cost for the registration of traders. The traders have to come into the tax net and must pay their due amount of taxes in the national kitty. However, the monthly amount of tax is negotiable. The rate of monthly advance tax should be reasonable and there should not be a huge difference between rates of taxes between shopkeepers and traders.

The FBR has also shown a willingness to amend the relevant SRO to fulfill the demands of the traders’ community, he said.

The proposal is to change the monthly tax payment to a quarterly tax payment mechanism. The rate of tax is expected to be further reduced under the revised SRO. A simple return form will be notified for the traders in Urdu.

Mir said that the FBR will allow the traders’ committees across the country to voluntarily decide about exemption, rates, and payment of fixed tax in markets and shops based on their businesses and size of shops. The Additional Commissioners IR and traders in the field formations would jointly revise the tax rates under the amended scheme.

Chief Coordinator of the Tajir Dost Scheme added that there is no justification for going for a shutter-down strike keeping in view FBR’s commitment to amend the scheme as per traders’ desire.