Fight against Covid-19: RTO urges traders to clear tax dues for doctors' help

The Federal Board of Revenue's Regional Tax Office (RTO) Islamabad Friday approached the business community to voluntarily come forward and pay outstanding amount of taxes, so that the government could be of further assistance to the doctors and other medical staff, engaged in the fight against coronavirus across Pakistan.
Dr Shamsul Hadi, Chief Commissioner RTO Islamabad has written a letter to all registered taxpayers falling within the jurisdiction of RTO to rise to the occasion and play their active role in the national fight against coronavirus.
According to the chief commissioner, as you are well aware of the facts that some dark times have descended upon world in general and Pakistan in particular.
It goes without saying that we are at war.
The only difference this time around is that we cannot see our enemy but we have got eyes and ears to foresee the looming danger in the form of coronavirus/COVID-19.
This pandemic has wrecked havoc all across the world.
The front line in this war is your hospitals, doctors and support medical staff.
Our front line soldiers require specific protective gear, N-95 masks, ventilators, medicines etc to save the day for the nation.
The government has come up with special incentives for the needy and is taking various measures to provide relief in these times of distress.
In this situation, the role of the business community for the economic stability is of paramount importance.
As you are well aware of the fact, there are around 2.6 million taxpayers, out of these around one million people, either pay no tax or are contributing meager amounts, around 0.7 million taxpayers are salaried individuals and there tax is detected at source, meaning thereby that in a country of around 220 million population only 0.7 million taxpayers are sustaining a major burden of taxes, the chief commissioner said.
The chief commissioner stated that besides paying taxes the business community was the major employer, therefore, their role was of paramount importance.
We as a nation must understand the gravity of situation and should pay our due taxes with honesty and in a timely manner.
"Dear taxpayers, you are requested to go through your books and if there are any outstanding taxes, those may please be deposited in time, so that we can augment the untiring efforts of the federal government to take the country out of these challenging times. I haven't got an iota of doubt that if we as a nation rise and take the challenges head on, Allah will definitely help us. We should not forget the golden precedence that the stalwarts of Islam Hazrat Abubakar Siddique (RA) and Hazrat Umer Farooq (RA) had set during the development times on the eve of Ghazwa-e-Ahzab. Its time to back our government and repose full trust in the government institutions to fight this virus," Dr Hadi said.