The Regional Tax Office (RTO) Karachi has put the inauguration of the Joint Tax Facilitation Division (JTFD) for Income and Sales Taxes on hold for a month or more.
Official sources in RTO Karachi told Business Recorder here on Friday that the inauguration of the division has been postponed for a month or more due to the uncertain law and order situation of the city in recent days.
Earlier, the division was expected to begin its functioning from January 01, 2008 aimed to provide almost all the services regarding the two taxes to the taxpayers by one window operation. But, the rampage following the assassination of PPP chairperson and former premier, Ms Benazir compelled RTO officials to put the project on hold, they maintained.
The integration of the two tax offices is being held in connection to the second phase of the reform plan of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to co-locate the offices of the sales tax and income tax at close proximity aiming at facilitating the taxpayers.
However, the shifting of different offices of FBR at Karachi being continued since last many months to the Income Tax House, situated at Shahrah-e-Kamal Ata Turk, disturbing the routine work of the Office and the taxpayers were the ultimate sufferers by the situation, sources maintained.
Sources feared that the opening of the division would not bring improvement in the situation as it would be a soft opening and some of the sales tax matters would be dealt at its other offices in parallel until the shifting of those would not taken place.It is noted that the payments of refunds and the issuance of refund's vouchers had also been put on hold by the Zone-B of the RTO, also called as Enforcement Zone, a month before. The RTO officials had termed the shifting of office of the Zone the reason of this stoppage of refunds, resumed after the directives of FBR.
Director General RTO Karachi, Asrar Raouf while talking to Business Recorder termed the uncertain law and order situation the reason behind delay in the inauguration of the division.
The preparations for the division were almost completed and the new date for its inauguration, expectedly in the end of January or early February 2008, would be announced soon, he added. He said that the FBR's Head Office in Islamabad is being consulted for the purpose as the Chairman FBR, Abdullah Yousuf is expected to inaugurate the division's office.