The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s

Businessmen Panel has appreciated the federal and provincial

governments for their resolve to implement the much-needed single portal
for filing sales tax returns, as harmonization of general sales tax on
services and goods among the federating units can help tap more than 87
percent potential revenue which remains largely uncollected so far.

He said that the launching of single portal will cut the compliance cost for
the taxpayers and help increase Pakistan’s rating on Ease-of-Doing Index

The BMP chairman suggested that taxes should be charged one time by
any provincial or federal government, as provinces levy same kind of tax
which the federal government has already imposed, escalating the cost of
production and discouraging the registered manufacturers. He called for
harmonization of Sales Tax and Income Tax laws, getting rid of conflicting
provisions, suggesting enhancing tax base by automation. He demanded
the government to improve tax structure so that business and investment
could flourish in the country, as the existing tax structure discourages
investment. He requested the government to focus on reducing tax rates
and expanding tax base by bringing all exempted sectors into the tax net.
FPCCI former president said that high tariff of utilities and RD’s on raw
material are also the factors discouraging exports