Women support vital for sustainable tax culture: FBR

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Member Facilitation and Taxpayer Education (FATE) FBR Ms Nausheen Javaid Amjad Monday described the women’s support as vital for creating a sustainable tax culture and ensuring maximum tax compliance in the society.

“Women can lay the foundation of a better tomorrow by leading positive behavioural change in the society,” she said in a keynote address to a two-day ‘All Pakistan Women Chambers President’s Conference’ arranged by Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (RCCI) in Rawalpindi.

Nausheen Amjad said there was a need to inculcate tax education in all stages of formal or informal learning.

“FBR (Federal Bureau of Revenue) is currently engaged in an extensive taxpayer outreach programme to create basic knowledge about tax affairs, awareness about the rights and responsibilities of taxpayers, promote tax literacy and highlight payment of taxes as a national duty,” she said according to an FBR press statement.

Highlighting the features of FBR’s outreach programme, the Member FATE FBR said her wing had been engaged in a host of activities, including running of a dedicated helpline, setting up of a Customer Relationship Management System, publication of taxpayer facilitation brochures and manuals as well as running tax awareness campaign through the media.

Nausheen Javaid said creating a tax culture and promoting tax literacy was essential to making informed decisions about tax affairs, effectively manage financial resources, increase incidence of tax compliance, raise awareness about filing of Income Tax returns and emphasize the social value of taxes as contributor to socio-economic development of the society.

She said women in Pakistan were also contributing significantly to the vibrancy of socio-economic life as corroborated by the figures of Income Tax filers for the Tax Year 2016 when FBR received 1.32 million returns with the share of salaried women standing at 4.9% with 65,225 filers and the share of non-salaried women filers standing at 6.4 per cent with 85,278 filers.

Earlier, Rawalpindi Chamber President Zahid Latif Khan briefed the participants about various initiatives of the Chamber, including the recent establishment of Women Business Incubation Centre at RCCI and providing the business women developmental forums to help the women entrepreneurs get into the mainstream activities of national economy.