PESHAWAR
Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry voiced concern over undue delay in payment of Sales Tax & Income Tax Refund, harassment on various pretexts, especially in the name of policy enforcement and urged government and Federal Board of Revenue to take concrete measures for Ease of Doing Business and Taxpayers’ facilitation.
These concerns and a number of operational and policy level matters were taken up by a delegation of businessmen led by SCCI president Junaid Altaf with Chief Commissioner, Regional Tax Office, Peshawar, FBR Muhammad Taqi Qureshi in a meeting held at RTO Peshawar.
The businessmen delegation consisted on SCCI Senior Vice President Muhammad Nadeem, Vice President Sabir Ahmad Bangash, and the chamber income tax committee Chairman Zahidullah Shinwari, and Chairman Income Tax Committee, SCCI Haji Muhammad Asif, and members Malik Niaz Ahmad, Riaz Arshad and Adeel Rauf, and member of the chamber’ executive committee Sajjad Zaheer and others.
Commissioner Corporate RTO Peshawar Ajmal Khan, Commissioner Inland Revenue, RTO Peshawar Dr Syed Farooq Jamil were also present in the meeting.
The meeting thoroughly made discussion on operational matters, mainly relating to pendency of refunds, delays even after RPO issuance, unlawful summoning of taxpayers, Sales Tax Registration – Manual Verification, POS Integration & Deployment of FBR Officers at Shops under 40B, PRAL / IRIS System Downtime (Operational Impact).
Policies related affairs also came under discussion, including Increase in Withholding Tax Threshold – Section 153, transparency and publication of FBR orders, Exports to Afghanistan Against PKR (System & Refund Policy), Pharmaceutical Industry – Sales Tax Regime Issue, Digital Invoicing Framework – Structural Issues, High Corporate Tax Burden & Impact on Industrialization and others.
President Junaid Altaf while presenting various proposals urged FBR to ensure administrative facilitation and timelines, prevention of harassment of business community on various pretexts, removal of irritants in Sales Tax registration, phase-wise implementation of POS system, by creating ample awareness about this system and digitization invoicing framework.
The SCCI chief sought revision of the PKR 75,000 threshold in line with inflation to reduce compliance burden on SMEs as well as policy-level reform to publish adjudication and appellate orders for consistency, transparency, reduction of discretion and education of legitimate businesses and Taxpayers’.
President Junaid Altaf also called for policy/system changes at FBR & SBP level with regard to Exports to Afghanistan Against PKR (System & Refund Policy).
Similarly, he made a request that the Pharmaceutical Industry – Sales Tax Regime Issue, adjustment of input sales tax against 1% final output tax should be allowed and refund of excess input tax to avoid cascading effect.
The SCCI chief urged postponement of SRO 709(I)/2025 (Digital Invoicing).
President Junaid Altaf stressed rationalization and gradual reduction of overall tax rates to promote industrialization, attract foreign and domestic investment, and broaden the tax base.
SCCI chief urged reconsidering harsh treatment under: 37A, 37B, 21S and review of section 8B ( 90% adjustment of input) Broadening of tax base instead of squeezing existing TP.
