ISLAMABAD-The Islamabad Excise and Taxation department have achieved another milestone after collecting around Rs6 billion tax from July to December 2020. Of the total Rs6 billion about 2 billion was recovered for Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and deposited the amount to the national exchequer, Director Excise Bilal Azam told APP. 
“It was the biggest achievement of the department as the target was achieved at what times when people were feared to step out of his home due to COVID-19,” said Azam. The department, he said, had taken multiple initiatives to boost the revenue collection. “We introduced online payment system, enabling the motor vehicle owner to submit their token fee through National Bank of Pakistan and 10 designated Post Offices in Islamabad,” he said.  
Moreover, the applicants were paying the Road Tax through mobile ‘City App’ and National Database and Registration Authority’s (Nadra) e-sahulat centres across the country without visiting excise office which also increased the revenue of the department up to multiples time. 
Excise had also started vehicle registration and transfer at the doorstep in collaboration with NADRA for the convenience of the public ultimately generating the revenue during the times of pandemic, Azam observed. The Field staff of Excise was daily conducting surveys regarding the collection of  Profession Tax and Bed Tax throughout the Islamabad.
 During the past years, only few hundred thousands were collected but due to reforms in Excise and Taxation department during last year, the tax collection has been increased multiple times and millions of rupees have been collected in this regard, he concluded.