‘Reforms in CBR to be completed within a year’
By Asad Cheema

ISLAMABAD—The ongoing reforms process in the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) would be completed within a period of one year, Chairman CBR M Abdullah Yousaf said Thursday.
Tax collecting machinery is being made more efficient.Onground employees of CBR’s Reform Units selected through a well devised process were being paid 100 percent extra allowance as an incentive, he told PTV. The country has already come into the range of higher economic growth due to the consistent policies. An increase of 18.9 percent has been recorded during the last five months.A sum of Rs 296 million has been collected in the aforementioned period. Country is maintaining decent economic growth from six to eight percent.
Country is also maintaining 15 to 20 percent growth targetsin revenues. Last year it was 20.7 percent. Target of this year is 17.2 percent. While an increase of 18.9 percent have already been recorded in revenues during first five months of the current year.
Efforts were underway to rationalise ratio of direct andindirect taxes. Proportion of direct taxes in total revenues is currently 32 percent. While indirect taxes are 68 percent of the total revenues. Few years ago the proportion of direct taxes was only 18 percent. However the need was to focus on enhancing both direct and indirect taxes as Customs duty is on the decline due to free trade with various countries.
For increasing revenues regime of giving exemptions would be minimised gradually.
The system would be simplified further by declaring National Identity Card (NIC) number as identifier for tax payer to avoid concentration of other numbers like NTN etc, he said.
Issuance of NTN number would be continued to corporate sector, he said. Responding to a question he said overseas Pakistani stayingabroad for more than two years have been offered upto 50 percent discount in duties on import of vehicle which should not be of Duty structure on 1500 CC is 75 percent, 65 percent duty is fixed on 1500 to 1800 CC vehicles. For further information CBR can be contacted, he said