Karachi: FPCCI advised businesses to pay taxes and small traders should register themselves with FBR under Tajir Dost Scheme.

Despite some initial teething problems, 22,000 small traders have registered under FBR-TDS so far. A meeting of small traders with both Chief Commissioners of Karachi region, Naeem Mir Chief Coordinator of FBR Tajir Dost Scheme vowed to establish better understanding, coordination and liaison between FBR and small traders. Atif Ikram Sheikh President FPCCI said that small traders would definitely pay taxes according to their size of businesses. Saquib Fayyaz Magoon SVP FPCCI reiterated FPCCI’s stance that FBR needs to expand tax-net and simplify taxation system to improve tax-to-GDP ratio instead of further squeesing he existing axpayers.  Aman Paracha VP FPCCI maintained that terms and conditions of taxing traders should be made clear sooner than later to alleviate concerns and apprehensions to take registration process further.  Naeem Mir highlighted that authorities are well that small traders cannot afford an accountant or lawyer to file taxes through prescribed method of FBR. Therefore, FBR has come up with Tajir Dost mechanism.  Abdul Rehman Convener of FPCCI’s Sindh Regional Standing Committee on Small Traders stated giving traders an opportunity to interact with senior officials of FBR from apex platform of FPCCI will create awareness on mass-scale.

Dr. Muhammad Sarmad Qureshi Chief Commissioner of Regional Tax Office I (Karachi) and Hina Akram, Chief Commissioner of Regional Tax Office II (Karachi) answered queries of traders in detail on spot.