CNIC condition on sales at retail stage: FBR to hold meeting with traders on 22nd

Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is planning to implement the condition of Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) on sales at the retail stage from February 1, 2020, sources said. A meeting of traders' representatives and senior officers of FBR will be held on 22nd January here at FBR House. In the meeting, the chairperson and other senior officers of FBR will brief the traders about the progress on the agreement with them and will take them into confidence.

Representatives of traders and the FBR officers would hold combined meetings on January 24 at Regional Office Islamabad/Rawalpindi, January 27 at Karachi Office, on January 29 at Multan, on January 30 at Faisalabad and at Lahore Regional Office on January 31.

The issues arising out due to turnover tax would be analyzed afresh in a meeting with the tyre, mobile phone, ghee, sugar, pulses, cement, fertilizer, electronics, yarn, iron & steel, paper, automobile and other sectors on January 13-14 at the FBR House Islamabad.

President All Pakistan Traders Association Ajmal Baloch told Business Recorder that the FBR would withdraw the CNIC condition in future. He argued that the buyers are now purchasing items less than Rs 50,000. He further said that CNIC condition was put to register the traders for sales tax.

The government in the current budget for the financial year 2019-20 introduced the condition of CNIC on buyers. The condition created controversy and retailers and small traders staged protest across the country. So, the CNIC condition, which had to be implemented from August 1, 2019, was deferred till January 31, 2020 following negotiations between the FBR and small traders.

The FBR officials believe the implementation of CNIC condition would help identify the people operating in the undocumented economy. However, the situation will be clearer once the FBR takes action in this regard.

According to the agreement, the government would not take any disciplinary action against traders who did not buy and sell goods on the basis of CNIC till January 31.