NA body seeks report on Rs47 bn tax ‘evasion’
ISLAMABAD: Standing Committee on Information Technology on Tuesday discussed the alleged tax evasion of Rs 47 billion by five telecom companies and directed the departments concerned to furnish a report about the tax evasion as to know the true fact of the matter.
The Cellular Mobile Operators gave presentation to the committee regarding the procedure of tax payment to the FBR. The committee also observed that the higher authorities should fix responsibility to the effect that who contributed into the alleged tax evasion scam. The committee also directed the Ministry of Information Technology and PTA to furnish all correspondence record of Cellular Mobile Operators between Ministry of IT & PTA wef 2006 to 2011.
Chairman Ch Barjees Tahir asked the officials of the ministry and PTA that the tax evasion matter has been has been mishandled but Ministry of IT and PTA as a regulatory body has not taken any action. He said that cellular companies are of the view that they deposited the money then where this amount has been gone.
Anusha Rehman said that cellular operators contacted the courts over the issue but ministry is silent over the issue. Tariq Sultan, member finance, informed the committee that currently he does not have the data amount that has been paid for commercials in the media. Standing committee said that officials are not well informed about the issue and failed to settle it.
During the meeting cellular operators informed the committee that industry was harassed over this issue and no one from the ministry facilitated us so we contacted to the court. The members said that during last four years several secretaries were changed while several departments are functioning without their heads.
Shafqat Hayat khan said that Pakistan Telecommunication authority (PTA) and Ministry of Information should be closed as on any issue both departments put responsibility on each other. He said that departmental distribution system in the ministry of IT is so complex that responsibility can’t be fixed.
The committee recommended and requested the prime minister to allocate the portfolio of Federal Minister, Secretary Ministry of IT and Chairman PTA to make the Ministry fully functional and to run the day to day working of the ministry.
The committee directed that Secretary IT, Chairman PTA, Chairman FBR, officer concerned from Law Department and representative of stakeholders to ensure their presence in the next meeting.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Ch. Iftikhar Nazir, Farhat Khan, Pir Syed Fazal Ali Shah Jeelani, Dr Roshan Din Junejo, Dr Talat Mahesar, M Akhtar Khan Kanju, Parveen Masood Bhatti, Anushah Rehman Khan advocate and Sardar M Shafqat Hayat Khan.
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