The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has decided to launch another new computerised system, "CREST" for analysis of sales tax returns and speedy payment of sales tax refund to the exporters.
Sources told Business Recorder on Monday that CREST is an information based online computerised system, containing data of units registered with the sales tax department. The new system would process refund on real time basis. Presently, data of corporate sectors is being analysed through the system. This system after being run on trial basis shall be made available to the non-corporate sectors. The system has the capacity to analyse the sales tax data collected from various sources.
The board had issued different systems in the past to expedite refund payment, but most of the computerised system failed to check the refund claims filed on the basis of forged documents/fake sales tax invoices. The software called Sales Tax Automated Refund Repository Computer System' (STARR) refund automation program was enhanced with the introduction of 'STREAMS' (Sales Tax Risk Evaluation and Management System). But, the systems were unable to fully control the tax frauds and fraudulent refund claims.In past, refunds were even issued in cases where the computer program had detected discrepancies in the documents submitted by the exporters. Later, all major checks of STARR were abolished to expedite refund payment to the five major zero-rated sectors under the new simplified Risk Based Refund Procedure.
The new system, CREST has been trial run at the Collectorate of Sales Tax and Central Excise (Enforcement) Karachi.
Sources said that the software named 'CREST' has been run on trial basis and would be launched on satisfactory performance.
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