PESHAWAR -  Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Dr Irshad on Wednesday said that the new tax reforms would have no effects on existing tax payers but would increase tax network.

He expressed these remarks while addressing a gathering at ground breaking ceremony of the district taxation office (DTO) in district Charsadda. The FBR chairman said that the teaching of Chinese language has been made compulsory in all training institutes of FBR in view of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative which he said was certainly a game changer as far as development in the country was concerned.

He said that the DTO offices established in light of the newly-introduced reforms would be autonomous, having financial and administrative powers to recruit staff. He further said that the district tax officer would be in-charge of the district and would have representation at tehsil level so that they could report about all affairs regarding the overall performance of tax collection.

He said that the DTO would have separate office and would have the powers of rectification, which he said would simplify the verification system and would be appellate authority in deciding tax payers’ matters. He said that the state would provide expenditures for DTO offices and instead of additional commissioners, they would directly report to the commissioner office.

For resolution of tax-related problems, the commissioner would have to visit the DTO office in first week of every month and the chief commissioner would also pay quarterly visits to these offices, he informed. The FBR chairman said that tax payers were precious asset and asked the tax officers to facilitate tax payers to expand the tax net. While clarifying the rumours about any effects on the existing tax payers, he made it clear that actually the reforms had been made only for increasing tax network.

Tax Bar Association (TBA) President Mushtaq Ahmad and Abdul Ali, a representative of local trading community, also addressed the ceremony and paid tributes to the FBR chairman for dedicated efforts for introducing tax reforms and broadening of tax net.

Besides chief commissioner inland revenue, Regional Tax Officer (RTO) Mir Badshah Wazir, commissioners, additional commissioners and taxation officers, representatives of tax bar associations and local traders attended the meeting. Later, the FBR chairman laid the foundation stone of District Taxation Office (DTO) Charsadda and also planted a sapling in the lawn of the under-construction office.