The Federal Board of Revenue will not accept sales tax and federal excise returns without Computerised National Identity Card numbers (CNICs) or National Tax Numbers (NTNs) of the unregistered buyers with effect from February 1, 2012. It is learnt here on Tuesday that the SRO821(I)2011 would be fully implemented from Wednesday (February 1) across the country.
As the return filing process for the tax period of January 2012 would start in February, the implementation of the SRO821(I)2011 would automatically be started under the E-filing system of the FBR. The FBR had generously allowed six moths time to the business and trade for preparation to obtain NTNs/CNICs of the un-registered buyers. Over a period of six months time, manufacturers, importers and exporters have shown compliance of more than 65 percent.
It is hoped that during February 2012, this information would be provided in all sales made to un-registered persons by manufactures, importers and exporters which would be a big achievement for the documentation of economy. The sales tax returns to be filed in February would carry information about the un-registered buyers of manufacturers, importers and exporters under SRO.821(I)/2011. Legally, the SRO.821(I)/2011 become fully operational from February 1 and all sales tax returns must have complete information as required under the said notification.
Sources said the system would automatically declare all such non-compliant registered persons as 'Non-Active', which would block their sales tax returns due to non-submission of the CNICs or NTNs of their un-registered buyers. The FBR will impose these restrictions over the non-compliant manufacturers, importers and exporters from February 1, 2012.
Following introduction of the e-filing of returns for all sales tax registered persons, the FBR can easily declare non-compliant taxpayers as 'Non-Active' and subsequently sales tax returns could be blocked through the electronic system. The system can also declare the non-compliant manufacturers, importers and exporters as 'defaulted' as sales tax returns would not be accepted by the electronic system. From February 1, 2012, the facility given to the registered persons to show sales made to un-registered persons without submission of particulars has been ended under the SRO821(I)/2011.