PTAA chief sends SOS to PM for clearance of IT funds

Javed Iqbal Qazi, chairman Pakistan Tax Advisors Association, (PTAA) has approached Prime Minister Imran Khan for clearance of unpaid income tax refunds of local manufacturers and businessmen engaged in domestic activities, pending for the last many years.
In a communication to the prime minister here on Monday, the chairman PTAA stated that the federal cabinet has sanctioned/allocated a specific fund for the issuance of sales tax refunds under the FASTER system to the exporters, but no such allocation has been made for the local manufacturer/businessmen.
Due to coronavirus, whole of the country is under the lockdown and manufacturers/businessmen are facing difficulty to pay salary/wages to their employees/workers as they are not generating any revenue/profits and are thinking of closing their business permanently, he maintained.
A relief package should also be announced for these businessmen, who are the backbone of our economy and have huge refunds due from the federal government in respect of sales tax and income tax, he suggested.
It is also requested that the taxpayers who have income tax and sales tax refund, due for the prior years, may also be issued such refunds, so that in this crisis, they may be able to improve their cash flow and could be able to pay wages/salaries to their employees as well as to meet their liabilities in time.
This request is being made in the supreme interest of the country as the FBR officials are reluctant for the issuance of such refunds to the general class as they always favour the special class.
An early action in the matter is requested, Qazi said.