Business leaders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday urged the Federal Board of Revenue to streamline tax procedures and broaden the tax base, warning that complex systems were discouraging traders from joining the documented economy.
The call came during a tax awareness and facilitation session organised by the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with the FBR’s Tax Facilitation Wing at the SCCI chamber house.
SCCI Senior Vice President Muhammad Nadeem said traders were willing to comply but faced hurdles such as complicated procedures, digital filing challenges, tight compliance timelines, and intricate documentation. He stressed that even basic compliance becomes difficult when systems are overly complex.
Nadeem highlighted that raising awareness, providing guidance, and offering practical support would help broaden the tax base and enable more businesses to contribute to national growth. He also pointed to ongoing challenges faced by KP traders, including high logistics costs, instability, law and order concerns, and other constraints that have slowed commerce. He urged the government to address these issues to ease the burden on businesses and strengthen trade.
The session was attended by former SCCI senior vice president Abdul Jalil Jan, WCCIP President Qurtual Ain, SVP Zaraa Imtiaz, VP Zareen Akhtar, executive committee members Sajjad Zaheer, Aftab Iqbal, Saddar Gul, Fazl e Wahid, Ishiaq Muhammad, Syed Ejaz Ali Shah, Rashid Iqbal Siddiqui, chamber secretary general Muqtasid Ahsan, and numerous traders and industrialists.
FBR officials, including Secretary Tax Education and Facilitation Muhammad Mutiur Rehman, Second Secretary Abdul Rehman, and Javed, delivered keynote presentations.
Mutiur Rehman assured participants that concerns over the digital integration deadline would be raised with senior authorities and resolved promptly. He urged the SCCI to connect taxpayers with the FBR facilitation wing for joint problem-solving and suggested uploading a taxpayer checklist on the chamber’s website for convenience. He further confirmed that the chamber’s recommendations would be incorporated into the upcoming fiscal year’s budget.
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