LAHORE - Progressive Group, a representative platform of traders and industrialists, on Monday launched a massive campaign to win the respect for taxpayers they deserve and convincing the government to devise a simple and easy taxation system to enhance the tax net.

Progressive Group President Khalid Usman, in a letter to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and other political leaders, said that Pakistan’s tax system is very complicated and unfriendly towards the businessmen. He said that numerous tax amnesty schemes were introduced during last 70 years but only 1.2 percent of 200 million people opted to join the tax net.

He said that his group was launching a campaign ‘Lets honour the taxpayer’ to enhance tax net. He claimed that tax receiving authorities do not pay honour to the taxpayers which they deserve. He claimed that if they are treated with dignity and honour they would not only be ready to join the tax net rather ask others to do the same.

He was of the view that this step would help promote tax culture in the country. Usman, in his letter, further stressed that the business community should be taken on board for consultation while drafting a tax policy, bureaucracy should be asked to be friendly towards taxpayers and also offered preferential treatment in every department.