In a latest move towards introducing tax culture, the Federal Board of Revenue has decided to hold interactive seminars in educational institutions to project/evolve tax culture at national level. Sources told Business Recorder on Friday that the 'Facilitation And Taxpayers Education (FATE) Wing' of the FBR is embarking upon first-ever interaction campaign with students of public and private sector educational institutions to create tax awareness and to inspire them to become Agents-of-Change for motivating their peers and families towards paying taxes.
This campaign is the part of FBR's larger effort to broaden the tax base and to bring more people into the tax net through motivation. As the development partner of FBR, the German government's development agency GIZ is collaborating with FBR in the campaign to develop the modules to be used in interactive workshops/seminars to inform, educate and motivate the youth towards the importance of paying taxes. These "Agents-of-Change" would then exert moral pressure on the families and peers towards paying taxes.
In the first phase of the planned tax awareness through educational institutions campaign, FATE Wing would be holding workshops and interactive sessions in the educational institutions of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Starting in the current year, this series of workshops and seminars would be expanded all over the country. A brain-storming and steering meeting of the campaign was held in FBR today which was chaired by Member (FATE) Riffat Shaheen Qazi and was attended by FATE Wing's officers and representatives of GIZ. Detailed discussion on various aspects of the campaign was done during the meeting which also discussed the status of progress on the campaign so far. The meeting also discussed the various incentives for the students, including certificates and other recognition activities, for the students so that they actively participate in the campaign. In addition to the other initiatives undertaken by the FBR, this effort is expected to result in broadening the tax base with the interaction of potential taxpayers as well as non-taxpayers, sources added.