ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a huddle of finance heads, regulators and economic experts to deliberate on the tax reforms and to expand the tax base, ARY News reported on Monday.
The meeting on tax structure discussed the reforms to introduce and ways to eradicate the loopholes from the tax system. It underscored the need to curb tax evasion and the misuse of authority in the country.
The PM said that a transparent taxation system will automatically expand the tax base of the country. He noted that reforms were indispensable for good governance and people’s prosperity.
“In the past, people in the governments misused power and resources for the personal gains,” the PM said adding that they amended and altered tax laws to suit their interests.
The onus of tax was limited to the poor and traders owing to their wrongdoings while businesses of small and medium scale were affected the most, the PM stressed.
The huddle mainly comprised Finance Advisor to Prime Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue Javed Ghani and Chairman Board of Investment Pakistan Mr Atif R. Bokhari, while the PM also summoned former Finance Minister Hafiz Pasha to join the deliberations and furnish his recommendations.
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Information minister and Adviser on Information Shibli Faraz and Asim Bajwa respectively attended the meeting as well accompanied by Special Assistant to PM Shahbaz Gill.
It covered the agenda of corruption and manipulation by tax officers while debated over ways to ensure transparency in the department.
Welcoming the recommendations furnished by the experts for it, the PM assured that introducing reforms in tax structure is a top priority of his government.
He advised the relevant ministers and advisors to ponder over the recommendations put forward by the experts in reforming the tax system of the country.
