Inadequate digital infrastructure, limited literacy and capacity are main obstacles in adopting the new system, traders
\n PESHAWAR
\nTraders and manufacturers rejected imposition of heavy penalties and declaring defaulters under section 25-A of the SRO-709 and abrupt implementation of digital invoicing system to integrate small and large scale businesses and industries in one go.
\nBusiness community raised voices against the government and FBR for its unilateral policy and initiatives, especially the aforementioned new system through three different resolutions that were adopted unanimously during an awareness session on Digital Invoicing organised by Sarhad Chamber of Commerce of Industry in collaboration with Federal Board of Revenue \/PRAL \u2013 Pakistan Revenue Automation Private Limited here in the chamber.
\nThe session was chaired by SCCI president Fazal Moqeem Khan.
\nSenior vice president of the chamber Abdul Jalil Jan, member of the SCCI executive committee Adnan Nasir, Aftab Iqbal, Ashfaq Ahmad, Muhammad Nadeem Rauf, Sajjad Zaheer, former senior vice president Imran Khan Mohmand, carpet exporters Mazhar ul Haq, Atif Rasheed Khawaja, Afshan Khan, Sadder, Fazal e Wahid, Secretary General SCCI Muqtasid Ahsan, representatives, managers of various industries, business and importers and exporters were in attendance in a large number.
\nThe resolutions strongly denounced the imposition of heavy penalties and declaring the business community defaulters over violation of not digitizing in digital invoicing system and imposing heavy penalties under the Section 25-A, and called it an attempt to discourage the business and industries and demanded immediate abolishment of the afore-stated section forthwith.
\nAnother resolution against S.R.O.709(I)\/2025, stating that businesses and industries are unprepared technically and physically to adopt this new system abruptly, therefore, it is strongly called to give an extension into implementation of the new system for an indefinite period.
\nIn the third resolution, the business community suggested phase-wise and sector wise implementation of the new digital invoicing system, right from large-scale manufacturing industries to small businesses and traders.
\nTraders and manufactures opposed the section 25-A that has made mandatory to electronically integrate their hardware and software with FBR\u2019s computerized system through a license integrator or PRAL and to issue invoices, which unable for them to adopt abruptly while keeping in inadequate digital infrastructure, particularly in underdeveloped and remote industrial zones, insufficient technical readiness among enterprises, especially SMEs, limited digital literacy and capacity, both at user and support levels. They viewed that FBR is not itself fully digitized.
\nBusiness community furthermore pointed out that frequent downtime of FBR\u2019s IRIS services couldn\u2019t enable them to generate invoices in wake of inaccessibility of the system.
\nCost barriers for SMEs, they questioned what affordable alternatives are available for small traders who lack ERP systems or cannot hire dedicated IT support?
\nTherefore, they called for phase-wise and sector-wise implementation of the new digital invoicing system.
\nFazal Moqeem Khan in his opening remarks started the business community categorically rejecting the enforcement of the new system and conveyed their extreme resentments and apprehensions to senior officials of FBR\/PRAL.
\nThe SCCI chief highlighted key points and reservations that are unfeasible and impossible to immediately integrate business and industries with the new digital invoicing system.
\nLater, FBR\/PRAL officials KP\/Peshawar including Junaid ur Rehman, M. Abid Naeem, Ms Farheen Azhar and M Umar Saddiq during the session through a multimedia presentation briefed the participants about registration and integration of business and industries with the new system.
\nSenior officials assured issues relating to the new digital invoicing system will be taken up with high-ups to address them amicably and all facilities and easiness in the new system will be ensured as per recommendation of the SCCI.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Inadequate digital infrastructure, limited literacy and capacity are main obstacles in adopting the new system, traders PESHAWAR Traders and manufacturers rejected imposition of heavy penalties and declaring defaulters under section 25-A of the SRO-709 and abrupt implementation of digital invoicing system to integrate small and large scale businesses and industries in one go. Business community […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":487257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-487250","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n