In a major step to accelerate sales tax registration process, the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) is seriously considering to allocate sales tax registration numbers to the taxpayers directly instead of Collectorate of Sales Tax from July 1, 2004.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Tuesday that the CBR is working on a budget proposal to start issuance of sales tax registration directly after receiving requisite documents of the fresh applicant from the regional collectorate.
In this regard, the Sales Tax Computer Wing will establish a centralised registration facility in Islamabad before the coming budget.
Under the new procedure, the taxpayer will submit the application along with the documents to the Collectorate of Sales Tax.
The data will be electronically transmitted to the CBR, where the centralised system would automatically issue registration number to the applicant.
The verification of the documents would be done after allocation of registration number saving time of the applicant.
Sources said that the CBR has given an assignment to a senior computer expert in the sales tax department to work out modalities for establishing a centralised unit in the CBR for speedy issuance of registration numbers to the applicants.
The main purpose behind the new system is to expedite the registration process so that the collectors should not delay registration on the basis of verification of documents.
"The time consuming exercise of documents verification could no more stop any genuine applicant from getting sales tax registration number," sources added.
It may be recalled that the CBR has already issued instructions to all the collectors to process sales tax registration cases within seven days of the filing.
The CBR will also take serious action against the heads of Registration Divisions, Collectorates of Sales Tax for delaying registration.