The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has issued 0.1 million National Tax Numbers (NTNs) to persons whose computerised national identity card (CNIC) numbers were verified by National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).
Sources told Business Recorder here on Friday that a large number of persons did not mention NTNs on income tax returns filed in 2002-03 and 2003-04, but mentioned the computerised national identity card number on the return. The CBR started CNIC verification with the help of Nadra and subsequently dispatched the CNIC numbers to the Authority.
Following verification by Nadra, the CBR allocated NTNs to all those persons who had given genuine CNIC numbers.
"All these persons can obtain NTN from their respective NTN centre after payment Rs 50 fee. They can approach the NTN Cells to obtain the tax numbers already allocated by the Board", sources said.
On the other hand, the CBR has sent CNIC numbers to field formation for verification in cases where Nadra has not verified the numbers. In this regard, the CBR has conveyed to the field formations to check these CNIC numbers with the data available with Income Tax Department.
The CBR has already installed ''Nadra NIC verification program'' at all collectorates of sales tax at Karachi. Thus, persons applying for fresh sales tax registration would go through the verification of NIC submitted by them as the CBR now can easily check whether the applicant is using any fake identity card number or not.
The verification of NIC number would help the department to keep clean record of persons applying on the basis of genuine NIC numbers and at the same time discourage registration on the basis of fake NICs.
This simple CNIC verification will go a long way to update database on the registered persons and at the same time it will act as a deterrent to stop submission of wrong address.