Küçük esnafa sabit vergi kolaylığı: Mobil uygulama tanıtıldı

Govt launches mobile app for small traders’ tax scheme

The government on Wednesday launched a mobile application for its Fixed Tax Asaan Scheme, allowing small traders and shopkeepers to file their tax returns through the app. The government had unveiled the scheme ahead of presenting the federal budget for traders with an annual turnover of up to Rs200 million. Addressing a press conference alongside Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and representatives of the trader community, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani said the launch marked the “practical start” of a project the government had been working on for the past few months. Kayani congratulated the trader community on the successful launch of the app, saying it had been developed with their “guidance and consultation”. He recalled that the tax scheme for small traders was announced ahead of the budget on June 5. Following the announcement, the government team worked on developing the app and the plates to be provided to shopkeepers. The minister said the government team kept trader representatives Ajmal Baloch and Kashif Chaudhry, along with their associates, in the loop throughout the app’s development. “We initiated the process with a few questions: why had tax schemes in the past failed, and what was required to make a scheme successful today — one that would make it easier for traders to become tax filers while helping achieve the twin objectives of expanding the tax net and increasing the number of tax filers?” Kayani said. He said the scheme had been designed as a “win-win for all”, with the government benefiting from increased tax collection while traders would have a simpler, more facilitative system and easier dealings with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). “This is a trader-led scheme and it will be successful with trader-led implementation,” he noted. The minister outlined the key features of the scheme and app, saying it was open to all traders, whether they were already tax filers or not, provided their annual sales did not exceed Rs200 million. Kayani said the app contained a simple form in Urdu and could be downloaded from the Google Play Store, where an “Asaan Tajir” icon had been added. A PSID will be generated during the registration process, allowing traders to pay their tax through the app, he said. Once the payment is made, users will be notified of their inclusion in the scheme and their updated tax-filer status. They will also be informed about the benefits available to them under the scheme. Traders who avail themselves of the facility will receive a digital version of the plate. “No FBR official can enter the premises of a shop displaying the plate to question the trader on tax matters,” Kayani said. Kayani added that a physical copy of the plate would be available from the relevant office within two weeks. Clarifying the tax calculation, Kayani said the amount payable would be one per cent of declared sales, with withholding tax deducted from the amount. Traders would have to pay a minimum of Rs25,000 in tax, while the app would calculate the amount payable for each trader. Existing tax filers can also benefit from the scheme, provided their sales did not exceed Rs200 million in each of the last three years. However, their minimum tax liability would be equal to the amount they paid in the previous year. The minister also said traders who opted for the scheme would not be required to install point-of-sale (POS) machines at their shops or act as withholding agents. He added that the app would be available on the Apple Store in the coming days. “Currently, the app is available in Urdu. However, as promised, it will be made available in other languages, including Pashto, Balochi and Sindhi, by the first week of September,” he said. Kayani said traders would also be provided assistance, if required, in approaching the relevant focal offices and focal persons at the Regional Tax Offices (RTOs) in each district. He said the government would continue implementing the scheme in consultation and partnership with traders. The government would also guide and assist chambers of commerce, which, he added, had an important role to play in the process. The state minister displayed the physical plate, saying it had all the required security features. He added that traders who registered under the scheme by the tax-filing deadline would receive the plate free of cost. The plate was expected to cost no more than Rs1,500, he said. Addressing the press conference, Aurangzeb said traders, particularly small businessmen, expected the government to provide them with an easy and simple tax scheme. He expressed hope that the government’s efforts would succeed, saying the entire process of developing the scheme and app had been carried out in consultation with traders. The finance minister said he and Kayani had discussed the matter in parliament, the Senate and the National Assembly’s finance committees, stressing the importance of consultation. He added that the FBR had “gone out of its way” to make the scheme convenient for small traders. “He (the trader) would believe that it will work this time and that he will not face harassment or other issues if he comes under the tax net,” he said. Aurangzeb also thanked the two leaders of the trader community present at the press conference for helping take the initiative forward with the same objective. “The tax system doesn’t work if any strata of Pakistan is not covered under the mainstream,” he said, adding that people had to deal with the FBR, the country’s tax authority. He noted that it was the government’s responsibility to make the tax-filing system easy for people and free from harassment. The minister said previous schemes had been “one-size-fits-all”. However, “this time a few changes have been made, including a distinction between small shopkeepers and enterprises that operate on the retail side”. Traders could either opt for the regular scheme or join the newly launched scheme, the finance czar added, urging all traders not to miss the opportunity.