The Pakistan Tax Bar Association (PTBA) has requested the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman share data on fraudulent refund claimants against whom FIRs have been registered.

The PTBA has written a letter to the FBR Chairman in this regard.

The PTBA stated that the FBR has been highlighting news regarding the substantial amounts of refunds or input tax claimed fraudulently by taxpayers and the number of FIRs lodged against them. The PTBA has urged the FBR to provide and publish data regarding the FIRs registered, the amount of tax evaded, and details of how the culprits have been apprehended and brought to justice.

The PTBA also observed that the FBR has legitimized the category of non-filers by specifying higher rates of tax deduction under various provisions of the Income Tax Ordinance for withholding purposes. FBR officers possess sufficient information about non-filers, collected during various proceedings, including audits, monitoring of withholding taxes, further tax paid under the Sales Tax Act, 1990, by taxpayers conducting business with unregistered taxpayers, and withholding taxes deducted under sections 236G and 236H of the Ordinance. Therefore, the PTBA has requested the FBR to share information about the status of non-filers who have been converted into filers.

The PTBA further noted that more than two years have passed since the implementation drive for the Point of Sale (POS) system to document the supply chain. The FBR should publish data on how many POS systems have been installed across Pakistan and the impact of this implementation in terms of tax revenue collected through the real-time invoice mechanism.

Additionally, the PTBA reiterated its request for data regarding FIRs registered, the amount of tax evaded, and details of how the culprits have been apprehended and brought to justice.