Karachi: Sharjeel Jamal, Convenor of the FPCCI Committee on Trade Facilitation, has expressed his appreciation for Prime Minister Shahbaz Shareef’s recent visit to the South Asia Pakistan Terminal (SAPT). Jamal commended the Prime Minister’s vision to eliminate direct contact between taxpayers and tax collectors, a practice he noted is common in effective tax systems worldwide.
Jamal highlighted the Prime Minister’s deep understanding of the intricacies of Pakistan Customs and its operations. During his visit, PM Shareef voiced concerns about the current system, where taxpayer information is directly accessible to tax collectors. He criticized the Customs’ response to this issue, which he felt justified a flawed system rather than aligning with his vision of reform.
Jamal emphasized the need for improvements to ensure that the contact between taxpayers and tax collectors is completely eradicated. He pointed out that the role of assessing officers should be limited to evaluating goods, not the identities of consignees and consignors, which should be managed by the Risk Management System (RMS). However, he noted that the current RMS in WeBOC is faulty, posing a significant obstacle to the Prime Minister’s vision.
Jamal called for a comprehensive transformation of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Pakistan Customs, including amendments to the Income Tax and Sales Tax Acts to facilitate these reforms. He stressed that administrative measures, such as confining appraising officers to locked rooms, are insufficient. Instead, he urged for an investigation and recovery of billions of rupees lost due to the faulty RMS.
Jamal’s remarks underscore the urgent need for systemic changes to enhance the efficiency and integrity of Pakistan’s tax collection processes.