Pkrevenue.com

Author: Mrs. Anjum Shahnawaz

  • ECC approves free period for cargo, containers landing up to May 31

    ECC approves free period for cargo, containers landing up to May 31

    ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet non Wednesday approved free period from five working days to 15 working days for cargo and containers landing up to May 31, 2020.

    The ECC considered and approved a proposal by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs for extension due to corona pandemic of free period from five working days to 15 working days for cargo and containers landing for period up to May 31, 2020.

    The ECC of the Cabinet has asked the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to closely monitor the wheat procurement process and actively engage with the food departments and PASSCO to ensure procurement of wheat as per 8.25 million tones target set for procurement by the public sector this year.

    The ECC meeting chaired by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh asked the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to submit to ECC a detailed report in the next two to three weeks on the progress of wheat procurement by PASSCO and provincial food departments and overall wheat production in the country with the help of reliable data and figures to have a clearer picture for better planning in future.

    The ECC also called for exploring possibilities for extending more time to flour mills to procure wheat from the market, allowing inter-provincial movement and preventing smuggling of wheat outside Pakistan.

    The ECC gave the instruction after a report was presented to it by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research on wheat procurement by the public sector in the current season.

    The Ministry, in its report, told the ECC that the wheat procurement target for the wheat crop 2019-20 was set to 8.25 million tones with 4.5 million tones to be procured by Punjab, 1.4 million tones by Sindh, 0.4 million tones by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 0.1 million tones by Balochistan and 1.8 million tones by PASSCO.

    So far PASSCO and the provincial food departments had procured 3.96 million tones of wheat, approximately 48 percent of the target while the procurement pace was slow in KP and Balochistan and both the provinces had been requested to speed up the procurement process.

    The ECC also took up another proposal by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research for fixing an intervention price for cotton and after a detailed discussion asked the Ministry to come up with a comprehensive package focusing on cotton seed research, overall research and development, better water management, deregulation of the sector and zoning of crop growing areas to enhance productivity and competitiveness of the local crop.

    The ECC also discussed and approved five separate supplementary grants on different proposals submitted by various divisions.

    On two separate proposals for technical supplementary grants by the Defence Division, Rs 1.665 billion grant was approved for upgradation of Special Telecom Monitoring Project at Directorate ISI and a Rs 500 million for construction of Special Education School at the Defence Complex Islamabad.

    On a proposal by the Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission, a technical supplementary grant of 10.476 million was approved for assistance package for the family of Raees Anwar Abbasi, Senior Private Secretary (BS-19), Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission following his death on 12th August 2019.

    On a proposal for technical supplementary grant by the Poverty Alleviation & Social Safety Division, an amount of Rs12.143 million was approved following transfer of the subject of “Collection of Zakat and Ushr, disbursement of Zakat and Ushr to the Provinces and other areas as per formula approved by the Council of Common Interest” from Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony to the PA&SS Division and subsequent transfer of officers along with their posts and budgets by the Ministry of Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony to the PA&SS Division.

    On another proposal for technical supplementary grant by the Finance Division, the ECC approved Rs 306.615 million for the Office of Controller General of Accounts during FY 2019-20 for payment of dues on account of Prime Minister’s Assistance Package. On a proposal by the Ministry of Interior, the ECC allowed Capital Development Authority (CDA) Islamabad to allocate Rs 3.05 billion to the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) on loan basis for payment of obligatory expenses for the second half of the FY 2019-20.

    The ECC also considered and approved a proposal for reconstitution of a Committee formed by the ECC in its meeting on 26th March 2020 for examination of incentive package for the National Electronic Vehicle Policy by nominating the Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar in place of Abdul Razak Dawood as Chairman and member of the committee following the cabinet reshuffle and including Secretary Commerce as member of the Committee in place of Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment  Abdul Razak Dawood.

    The ECC also approved another proposal by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs for technical supplementary grant of Rs 58 million as compensation of the demolished structures of Pakistan Coast Guards in order to provide 19 acres land previously in possession of Pakistan Coast Guards and vacated for Gwadar Free Zone and Right of Way of the Eastbay Expressway. On a proposal by the Ministry of Energy for development of a new mechanism/criterion for disbursement of payments to the tune of Rs 300 billion through CPPA-G to the power generators, the ECC asked the Power Division to devise the requisite criterion for fair and equitable disbursement of payments to the power generators and come back to ECC for its approval.

    On another proposal by the Power Division, the ECC approved shifting of most expensive loan from the books of PHL to Government of Pakistan and taking up of Rs 136.454 billion loan in the FY 2019-20 while other loans to be considered in the following financial years accordingly.

    On another proposal by the Power Division, the ECC gave go-ahead to issuance of new sovereign guarantee by the Ministry of Finance in respect of fresh syndicated term finance facility for Rs 41 billion through Power holding Limited (PHL) for the purpose of set off/adjustment of existing PHL finance facility of Rs 41 billion executed in pursuance of ECC decision made on 7th June 2017. The ECC, on a proposal by the Petroleum Division, asked the Finance Division to transfer Rs 11.7 billion in the NBP account for ensuring remittances to Kuwait as per schedule.

  • CEO Jazz says abolishing withholding tax to benefit consumers

    CEO Jazz says abolishing withholding tax to benefit consumers

    Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jazz, Aamir Ibrahim, has emphasized that abolishing the withholding tax on mobile phone services would directly benefit consumers by making telecom services more affordable.

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  • Reducing corporate tax to 25 percent recommended

    Reducing corporate tax to 25 percent recommended

    KARACHI: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been urged to gradually reduce the corporate tax rate to 25 percent by tax year 2023.

    Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) in its tax proposals for budget 2020/2021 recommended consolidation of all federal taxes in one lump sum.

    The government previously announced a policy for gradual decrease in corporate tax rate to bring it down to 25 percent by Tax Year 2023. However in the 2019 Finance Act the rate was frozen at 29 percent.

    The tax system has become cumbersome and inefficient due to a number of parallel taxes. In addition to direct corporate taxes, companies also pay other levies like the Workers Profit Participation Fund (WPPF) at 5 percent, Workers Welfare Fund (WWF) at 2 percent on their profits, thus the effective tax rate goes up significantly.

    If other taxes like the provincial infrastructure taxes in Sindh and Punjab, stamp duty on Purchase Orders and contracts, together with many other local levies are added, overall tax burden goes up to about 40 percent of profits, which is a significant tax burden with consequential increase in cost of doing business.

    The OICCI recommended to consolidate all federal taxes – Income Tax, and levies like WWF, WPPF in one lump sum so as to make the system more efficient and business friendly.

    Further, continue the previously announced policy to annually revise the tax rate to eventually align with the average Regional Corporate rate of 25 percent by FY 2023.

  • Terminal operators refuse to extend waiver from detention, demurrage charges: KCCI

    Terminal operators refuse to extend waiver from detention, demurrage charges: KCCI

    KARACHI: Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has said terminal operators have refuse to extend waiver from demurrage and detention charges despite clear instruction of the government to facilitate the trade in the wake of COVID-19.

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  • PSX proposes tax relief for exchange traded fund

    PSX proposes tax relief for exchange traded fund

    KARACHI: Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has proposed Exchange Traded Funds, transfer of Portfolio (basket of securities) from Authorized Participant (AP) to ETF’s Account should not be treated as disposal.

    In its proposal for budget 2020/2021, the PSX suggested that in order to facilitate the market for Exchange Traded Funds, transfer of Portfolio (basket of securities) from Authorized Participant (AP) to ETF’s Account should not be treated as disposal and therefore holding period of ETF constituents be carried forward to the ETF, upon conversation of Portfolio Deposit to ETF units, for the purpose of CGT calculation.

    Tax relief for ETF instrument will play a significant role in not only the benefit to existing ETFs recently launched but also in the successful launch of further ETFs in Pakistan, as the current structure would trigger capital gains in the creation of ETFs units. Moreover, a rationalization rate of tax on ETF investments, at par with the tax on other asset classes, would attract more investors towards ETFs.

    An Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is a pooled investment vehicle, with shares which can be traded throughout the day on a stock exchange, at a price determined by the market. Similar to a traditional mutual fund, an ETF provides investors a proportionate share in a pool of underlying securities.

    ETFs are one the fastest growing category of passive fund investments. Globally ETFs are an integral part of product offerings in the capital markets. It is a product with significant presence in over 47 countries.

    Internationally, there are over 8,000 ETFs with aggregate Assets Under Management of about USD 6.5 trillion by the end of 2019 and estimated to grow to around USD 7.6 trillion by the end of 2020.

    ETFs typically track an underlying index; they can also be based on sectors and strategies. They hold immense potential for investors to gain exposure to various market themes, without paying excessive management fees for getting a diversified exposure or developing a portfolio.

    PSX proudly announced on March 24, 2020, the successful listing and commencement of trading in Pakistan’s first ever Exchange Traded Funds (ETF).

    Two ETFs, namely NIT Pakistan Gateway ETF and UBL Pakistan Enterprise ETF, were launched on March 24, 2020 by the National Investment Trust Limited and UBL Fund Managers Limited, respectively.

    Given the current circumstances and in the interest of safety, a first of its kind virtual launch was organized by PSX for the landmark launch of the ETFs.

    This virtual launch is a step taken to make sure that the message of availability of ETFs in the Pakistani Capital Market goes across to all investors and market participants while ensuring their safety in the wake of the current threat of the potential spread of the Covid-19 virus.

    Therefore, as PSX is working actively with all market participants and regulators, the tax structure for ETFs needs to be rationalized to incentive prospective Aps to deal in ETF’s Account (both maintained with Trustee), would trigger Capital Gains Tax (CGT).

    Internationally, the growth and attraction of ETFs has been driven by the essential requirement that creation of ETF units by authorized participants are not subject to capital gains.

    A fundamental feature of ETFs is that the creation of their units are made in-kind, and not in cash as in the case of a mutual fund, so it does not trigger capital gains tax.

    In almost every market where ETFs are traded, regulators have allowed the practice of in-kind transfer portfolio securities. Examples include Saudi Arabia, Canada, UK, and USA.

    The following proviso should be inserted after sub- section 3 of section 37A to the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001;

    “Transfer of Portfolio (basket of securities) from Authorized Participant (AP) to ETF’s Account should not be treated as disposal and therefore holding period of ETF constituents be carried forward to the ETF, upon conversion of Portfolio Deposit to ETF unit, for the purpose of CGT calculation.”

    Appropriate amendment to be made in the Income Tax Rules, 2002.

  • Exports fall by 54 percent in April amid COVID-19 pandemic

    Exports fall by 54 percent in April amid COVID-19 pandemic

    ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s exports have declined by 54 percent in April 2020 owing to ongoing lockdown and cancellation of foreign orders.

    According to trade data released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) the exports were at $957 million in April 2020 as compared with $2.09 billion in the same month of the last year.

    The massive decline in exports can be attributed to cancellation of foreign orders due to outbreak of coronavirus. Besides, the manufacturing activities were remained halted due to lockdown to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The existing situation also reduced the import bill in the month under review. The imports fell by 34.5 percent to $3.09 billion in April 2020 as compared with $4.714 billion in April 2019.

    The exports in first ten months (July – April) 2019/2020 also fell by four percent to $18.41 billion as compared with $19.16 billion in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year.

    On the other hand the import bill fell by 16.5 billion to $39.9 billion in the first ten months of current fiscal year as compared with $45.4 billion in the corresponding period of the last fiscal year.

    The trade deficit shrank by 25.68 percent to $19.49 billion during July – April 2019/2020 as compared with the deficit of $26.23 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year.

  • Curtailing powers of tax officers in recovery, entering premises suggested

    Curtailing powers of tax officers in recovery, entering premises suggested

    KARACHI: Business community has suggested curtailing powers of tax officers while invoking provisions of sales tax laws.

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  • Sales tax rate reduction: Think tank to discuss with FBR

    Sales tax rate reduction: Think tank to discuss with FBR

    Islamabad – The Federal Government’s think tank convened its third meeting on Sunday to deliberate on fiscal measures, including sales tax, aimed at mitigating the economic challenges arising from the COVID-19-induced slowdown. The discussion, chaired by Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, emphasized the critical role of sales tax adjustments in spurring consumer spending and economic recovery.

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  • Sindh allows property registrations; issues SOPs

    Sindh allows property registrations; issues SOPs

    KARACHI: The Sindh government has allowed registration of properties from Monday May 04, 2020 with certain restriction to ensure compliance of lockdown to prevent spread of coronavirus.

    The provincial government has permitted Board of Revenue (BOR) to allow functioning / opening of the offices of sub-registrars in Karachi Division with effect from May 04, 2020 with the condition of strict observance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

    The Sindh government issued following SOPs for functioning of sub-registrar offices:

    01. The offices of sub-registrars shall start functioning from 10:00 am daily on all working days and close at 4:00 pm during Ramazan ul Mubarak and on the notified office timings of the government of Sindh in the subsequent months;

    02. Each aspirant for registration of document shall contact the concerned sub-registrar through one of the messaging services (SMS/Whatsapp) to get an appointment of a fixed time reserved for execution of his/her documents;

    03. Each party shall get a fixed time of 20 minutes, and the party concerned shall be obligated to reach within the office premises at least five minutes earlier, and get their presence acknowledged by the concerned officials/ peshkar;

    04. No person shall be allowed to enter the office without demonstrable message of appointment;

    05. Only actual executants and identifiers shall be permitted to enter the office who all shall make sure that they present themselves in the office at the fixed time;

    06. If any one of the mandatory signatories is missing, the documents shall not be received, and a new time shall be given;

    07. The executants shall bring along their hand sanitizers; sanitize their hands before and after execution/registration of the document; wear a recommended face mask; maintain social distancing among themselves and with the staff;

    08. No executants/identifier shall be allowed entry in the office premises unless he/she has adopted the above protective measures;

    09. The executants and identifiers shall stand in a queue at their designated spot marked by the sub-registrars at three feet distance for each person;

    10. The entire job shall be completed within 20 minutes where after the parties shall leave the office, and the next party shall be called in;

    11. For the party in waiting, there shall as well be markings at three feet distance for each individual in the corridor or other appropriate place to be identified by the sub-registrar concerned. Such notices shall be displayed at conspicuous places for public information;

    12. No hand shake or other means of body touch shall be permissible;

    13. It shall be lawful for the sub-registrar to defer registration by putting a specific note about violation of these SOPs and / or other relevant SOPs notified by the Home Department Government of Sindh by any one or more persons from amongst the executing parties;

    14. Minimum nuclear staff shall be called for duty;

    15. The sub-registrar shall be duty bound to follow and implement the SOPs.

    16. The sub-registrar shall keep his office, record etc. disinfected continually;

    17. The entire staff shall put on face mask and hand gloves of appropriate specifications;

    18. The district registrar shall constitute monitoring team, and shall himself carry out surprise visits to the office of sub-registrars to check whether the SOPs are being followed in letter and spirit;

    19. A daily log of inspections along with a brief account of the observations shall be submitted to the inspector general of registration Sindh and Member RS&EP Board of Revenue Sindh;

    20. The concerned deputy commissioner/assistant commissioner shall carry out surprise inspection of the offices of sub-registrars to monitor implementation of the SOPs and upon finding any violation, the deputy commissioner shall immediately generate a report for senior member board of revenue for criminal/departmental action;

    21. No private person shall be allowed entry in the scanning or audit office;

    22. All the relevant SOPs notified by the Home Department shall be additionally followed in letter and spirit; and

    23. The sub-registrar shall cause these SOPs to be conspicuously displayed in and outside his office.

  • Withholding tax rate should be increased for immovable property purchase by non-filer

    Withholding tax rate should be increased for immovable property purchase by non-filer

    KARACHI: The withholding tax rate should be enhanced to 10 percent for non-filer purchaser of immovable property in the budget 2020/2021.

    Pakistan Business Council (PBC) in its budget proposals 2020/2021 recommended to increase the rate of withholding tax for unregistered and non-filers of income tax returns.

    The PBC recommended that advance income tax is collected on sales of immovable property under section 236C, which is 1 percent for both filers and non-filers, should be increased for non-filers to 10 percent for properties of 900 square yards or more.

    The PBC said that the concept of separate withholding tax rates for filers & non-filers was introduced as a measure for increasing documentation of the economy.

    Though large amounts are being collected from non-filers, no effort has been made to increase the tax base.

    The non-filers for the most part have built the cost of this government levy into pricing and passed it on to their customers.

    In order to broaden the tax base and to achieve increase in overall tax collection without burdening existing tax payers, the policy to increase tax on non-filers / unregistered persons should be implemented specifically in the following cases:

    a) unregistered industrial / commercial entities (not having STRN) having bill amount in excess of Rs. 20,000 per month, extra sales tax should be increased from 5 percent to 20 percent.

    b) After collection of extra tax as referred above for a continuous period of 6 months, all these connections should be provisionally converted into NTN and STRNs and return filings from these connections should be enforced.

    c) In case of provisional registration as above, utility companies be directed to issue show cause notices where annual billing amount exceeds Rs.2.4 million and directing provisionally registered persons to obtain permanent registration. In case of non-compliance, utility companies be directed to disconnect utility connections.

    d) Moreover, in order to bring all commercial / industrial users in the tax net and to verify filer status, Electric distribution companies should provide one year to all such consumers to get their NTN registered with electricity distribution companies. In case of failure to provide NTN, electricity connection should be disconnected. Considering the fact that all industrial / commercial connections will be linked with NTN, the tax department will then be in a better position to assess the electricity consumed by commercial / industrial users and corroborate the same with amount of sales / production etc. reported in sales tax / income tax return

    e) in order to bring all commercial / industrial users in the tax net and to verify filer status, electric distribution companies should provide one year to all such consumers to get their NTN registered with them. Thereafter, such commercial/industrial consumers without NTN should be charged advance income tax @ 30 percent (from existing 12 percent) on their utility bills. Those with NTN but non-filer status be charged at 20 percent WHT.

    f) Residential consumers be made liable to provide NTN in case electricity bill amount exceeds Rs.1.2 million per year or levy advance income tax withholding of 20 percent.

    g) All exemptions (like exemption on agricultural income) under the Income Tax Law should only be made available to filers so that exempt income is also reported and wealth is reconciled.

    h) Withholding tax on International business class tickets under section 236L is same Rs. 16,000 for filer and non-filer, it should be increased to Rs. 50,000 for non-filers.

    i) Withholding tax @ 5 percent or Rs. 20,000, whichever is higher, is applicable under section 236D on all functions organized by filers as well as nonfilers. Rate of withholding be increased for non-filers to Rs. 100,000 as minimum and no WHT from filer.

    j) Function halls withholding tax on electric bills should be 30 percent which can be adjusted against tax liability by providing proof of tax deducted from their customers.

    k) Withholding income tax on interest income u/s 151 is 15 percent for filer and 30 percent for non-filer. Rate should be increased to 50 percent for non-filers in case interest income is more than Rs.2,000,000/-

    l) Annual private motor vehicle tax u/s 234 for non-filers is Rs. 9,000 for 1600cc-1999cc and Rs. 20,000 for 2000 cc and above. Rate for non-filers should be increased to Rs. 50,000 for 1600cc-1999cc and Rs. 200,000 for 2000 cc and above

    m) Advance income tax is collected on sales of immovable property under section 236C, which is 1 percent for both filers and non-filers, should be increased for non-filers to 10 percent for properties of 900 square yards or more

    n) Holding of land by non-filers should be made more expensive by asking those authorities collecting property tax (cantonment boards / societies/ registrar) to collect adjustable advance income tax, from non-Filers, on behalf of the Federal Government as follows:

    o) Rs. 500,000 per year for 800 yards or more but less than 1800 yards

    p) Rs. 1 million per year for 1800 yards and above.