Karachi, Altaf Shakoor, Chairman of the Pasban Democratic Party (PDP), has urged the government to persist in its efforts to broaden the tax base despite resistance from tax evaders and the black economy’s influential figures.
According to Pasban Democratic Party, during a statement made on Sunday, Shakoor highlighted the government’s recent decision to block the cell phone SIMs of tax evaders as a positive step and urged further legal measures against telecommunications companies that fail to comply. He criticized the existing tax system for disproportionately impacting the salaried class while allowing higher earners and the elite to evade taxes.
Shakoor also condemned the support that political parties provide to tax evaders and corrupt elites, stating that such actions hinder attempts to increase the tax base. Additionally, he suggested the use of artificial intelligence to identify tax evaders, leveraging the extensive data held by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the State Bank of Pakistan to potentially double tax collection. Shakoor also called for the resolution of pending tax cases in courts and a purge of corrupt officers within the FBR.