The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman, Abdullah Yusuf, has urged the traders community to play their due role towards the economic growth, as their share stood in the national economy stood at 16 percent.
He made these remarks at the crowning ceremony by the leaders of Quami Tajir Ithead (QTI) here on Friday, to acknowledge his services and efforts for creating a trade and business friendly environment and restoring taxpayers' confidence in FBR policies.
QTI chief Azhar Saeed Butt, President of QTI, Lahore Chapter, Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, Ansar Zahoor Butt, Nazir Ahmed Chohan, representatives of various city markets and tax officials were also present on the occasion. He termed the private sector as engine of growth for the country's economy and said that traders were a vital component of it.
Explaining the FBR policy, he said it had met all the demands of the traders and business community and now it was their turn to fulfil their national commitments and responsibilities. "So far the traders were far behind their commitments, but expressed the hope that they will extend cooperation and the situation will go better," Yusuf said.
In the past, traders and the CBR had no trust upon each other, but now the situation has changed and the gap between taxpayers and tax collectors has bridged.
Director-General, Regional Tax Office, Haji Ahmed, said that the CBR had introduced a new tax system which restored taxpayers' confidence in the tax department. According to him, such policies of the FBR has produced positive results and now taxpayers, particularly the traders, are registering themselves with the tax department voluntarily.
The traders on this occasion passed a resolution demanding of the government to confer upon Abdullah Yusuf Tamgah-e-Imtiaz in recognition of his efforts to create a taxpayer- and business-friendly environment in the country, that resulted in increase in the tax revenues. Later, the QTI leaders crowned Abdullah Yusuf.