salaried class tax return increased by 479%: Chief Commissioner RTU-II

Regional Taxpayer Unit –II registered unprecedented increase in salaried class income tax return filing in with increase of over 479 percent in the first quarter of 2019 as compared to the corresponding period of last year.

According to the details shared by the Chief Commissioner RTU-II Ahmed Shuja Khan here on Wednesday in a briefing, the salaried class return filling crossed 35,000 from the last year only 6072 fillers. He was accompanied by Commissioner Ayesha Imran Butt and Additional Commissioner Attiya Ali Khan.

He said, individual income tax return filling was increased by 73.76 percent crossed 154864 from 89126 fillers, statement final taxation by 43.12 percent crossed 6559 fillers from 4583 fillers, online returns (AOP) by 115.50 percent crossed 1226 fillers from 2813 fillers, and manual income tax return fillers declined by 66.88 percent, reduced to 1226 fillers from 3702 fillers.

Overall 91.84 percent increase was witnessed reaching 203920 fillers from 106296 fillers. The total income tax collection increase by 18.06 percent reached Rs 905.85 million from Rs 767.29 million.

However, he admitted that it was still far behind the target as almost 150,000 salaried class taxpayers falls in the jurisdiction of the RTO-II Lahore. The RTU-II approached the Punjab government to ensure the tax return fillings of its employees whose income tax was already deducted at source and deposited to the national exchequer. The response from all government and attached departments was appreciated but the Punjab Police response was the best among the all departments, he mentioned. The police department was cooperating with the FBR and established help desk at every concern wing where the policemen are registering themselves and filing returns, he added.

To achieve this mark, Ahmed Shuja Khan said that more than 40 outreach awareness return filing seminars, workshops and hands-on-training incessantly being conducted by Regional Tax Office-II, Lahore at various Provincial and Federal Government departments including I.G Police, Civil Secretariat, LESCO, Pakistan Railways, Session Courts, WASA, SBP, Services Hospital, Government College University, BISE Lahore, UHS an overwhelming response has been received. Reluctantly, an exponential increase in the number of returns for the tax year 2019 received thus far as compared to tax year 2018. In order to facilitate the taxpayers, two help desks are actively assisting in filing of Returns one at Regional Tax Office-II, Lahore Main Office Tax House and the other at Billour Palace, Lakshmi Chowk, Lahore.

Similarly, the RTU-II also targeted the business community for assistance in Return filing, an awareness seminar was also conducted at LCCI, Lahore by Regional Tax Office-II, Lahore.

Presently, 19 KIOSKS / Help Desks / return receipt counters are operational at prominent commercial areas of Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Nankana for assisting business taxpayers till the due date of filing of return of income.