The filing of tax returns is to become less of a hassle as the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to launch an ‘Income Tax Return App’ to aid individuals and businesses.
The new application will be part of the Tax Asaan Mobile application, which the FBR launched earlier to aid in verification such as NTN verification.
The official spokesperson of FBR and Member Policy Inland Revenue Hamid Ateeq has informed media that the application will be available on the Google Play Store next week and aims to aid the filing of e-returns.
The process has further been made easier as the electronic form for individuals, salaried individuals and association of persons for tax year 2019 will also be uploaded online on FBR’s website.
It still remains to be known whether the new app will aid in the calculation of income tax and house rent allowance and help in generating rent receipts. It will, however, contain an online tutorial to facilitate the filing of text returns.
The FBR spokesperson also informed media that the federal organisation will also draft new rules to issue licenses to certain individuals for submission of bulk e-returns.
The process of filing tax returns has further been made easier as the FBR is also developing sector-specific return forms to aid small manufacturers and educational institutions. Moreover, simplified return forms will also be introduced to assist hospitals and clinics.
Tax collection in Pakistan has always been a problem for governments. Last year, the Federal Board of Revenue received only 2.5 million tax returns, though the number is the highest in the country’s history. The government aims to increase the number to 4 million in the current year.
In early July, trading associations had called for a countrywide strike, with one of the demands being the withdrawal of unfair taxes. It remains to be seen whether the introduction of a less time-consuming process for filing taxes will increase returns or if opposition to ‘unfair taxes’ will negate such measures.