FBR to Launch Virtual Hearings From Next Month

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is set to launch a series of online hearings from next month, enabling taxpayers to directly lodge their complaints with the tax authorities. The announcement was made by the Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue, Haider Ali Dharijo, while addressing the members of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (Kati). He said all the procedures and documents for redressal of grievances had been made available online to ensure transparency. Dharijo said income tax certificates could now be obtained online besides taxpayers could also submit their tax returns with just one click. He further informed that the refund payment system has also been fully automated. The FBR commissioner informed that an amount of Rs. 1.6 billion was refunded to leather exporters during the first half of the current fiscal year, an increase of Rs. 0.6 billion compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. Speaking at the occasion, Kati Patron-in-Chief, S.M. Muneer, lamented that FBR did not make timely payments, as a result, a huge amount of refunds was still pending with the tax authorities since 2007. Dharijo assured that a focal person would be appointed for resolving the tax issues of Korangi industrialists.