Zubair Ali Khan, a PTI supporter from Karachi is actively catching dozens of businesses who aren’t paying taxes. He has so far been able to register 49 businesses for either Sales Tax or FBR POS Linked system. The businesses range from restaurants, marts, hospitals, doctors, traders, saloons and bakeries.
His actions shame FBR and provincial tax officials who are failing to go after tax evaders. The Prime Minister and Finance Minister have pledged to reform the ‘rotten FBR’ but so far there is little progress. The bottleneck seems to be corrupt and incompetent tax officials who are difficult to remove due to legal constraints.
Without serious tax & FBR reforms, economic progress will be limited as stated by Shaukat Tarin during his budget proposal. The government must hold FBR officials accountable and increase the tax-GDP ratio. In the meantime, the public can follow Zubair’s lead and ensure businesses are properly registered for sales tax.
You can follow Zubair on Twitter @ZubairKhanPk
