LAHORE: Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) is working closely with FBR and the other four provinces in the development and implementation of a single portal / single sales tax return.
These views were expressed by PRA chairman Javed Ahmed in an interview to Customs Today here at his office. “The project is expected to be completed within this calendar year, and will greatly improve ease of doing business as the problems faced in filing multiple returns every month will be resolved,” Ahmad added further.
Going forward, he divulged that the authority is al set to launch the Electronic Invoice Monitoring System (e-IMS) next month. Similar to RIMS, e-IMS will be installed at all sectors with POS and will provide real-time invoice data to PRA, he stated.
The e-IMS, combined with STRIVe, means that the raw data of Annexure C and Annexure A will be readily available with PRA and that very soon. PRA will launch self-executing return, wherein the basic data for these annexures will be automatically available to taxpayers, the chairman concluded.
He said that The Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) is all set to achieve the revenue target of Rs160 billion for the financial year 2019-20 full energy, honesty of purpose and dedication. The PRA has also met its target for the financial year 2018-19 however, four billion were wrongly transferred to some other accounts which would be adjusted. The authority has always strived to provide maximum facilitation to the taxpayers and the tax bar and has an open door policy for all taxpayers and members of the bar as well as general public.
PRA is the only provincial Authority to have fully implemented Sales Tax Real-time Invoice Monitoring (STRIVe) system with complete integration with FBR. Even FBR itself has not yet implemented STRIVe with complete data integration.
PRA is also planning to expand its footprint by opening new offices in the province in order to facilitate taxpayers who need to visit other cities for their cases.
The Authority expects the Tax Bars, Chambers and other related organizations to play their pivotal role in spreading awareness about the importance of paying taxes by acting as a bridge between the taxpayers and tax collectors.
“We expect the Tax Bars, Chambers join hands with PRA, especially during the Tax Day celebrated every year on the 10th of April and through such awareness-creating measures PRA’s efforts to ensure 100% implementation of tax laws can come true.
He was of the view that by assisting each other in expansion of tax base, spreading awareness and further enhancing facilitation measures we can prove that we are not adversaries but partners in progress.
“We must focus on creating synergies leading to positive outcomes where the whole is more than the sum of its parts,” he said. The PRA is the only Provincial Revenue Authority to have fully implemented Sales Tax Real-time Invoice Monitoring (STRIVe) system with complete integration with FBR. Even FBR itself has not yet implemented STRIVe with complete data integration, the PRA chairman highlighted.
He said that the Tax Bars and Chambers can play central in facilitating the taxpayers in filing returns on STRIVe so that the practice of fake and flying invoices can be satisfactorily curbed. He said that PRA is planning to launch Customer Relationship Management System within this financial year and the system will allow filing, tracking and response of complaints and queries in an automated environment.
The PRA is also planning to expand its footprint by opening new offices in the province in order to facilitate taxpayers who need to visit other cities for their cases, the PRA chairman said adding that the Authority has always strived to provide maximum facilitation to the taxpayers and the tax bar and has an open door policy for all taxpayers and members of the bar as well as general public. In answer to a question the PRA chief replied that PRA was the pioneer in a number of innovative steps such as e-Courts, which was a landmark achievement in taxpayer facilitation.
This innovation has recently been adopted by the Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan, he claimed, saying the authority has planned to adopt Case Tracking System (CTS) for cases in appeals.