Telecommunication service providers hold meeting with minister finance

Lahore : Telecommunication service providers are development partners of the Punjab government as well as an important source of sales tax. Some of the social sector facilities are the result of taxes collected from this sector. Punjab government is ready to provide every possible cooperation to telecommunication sector but timely provision of taxes is the responsibility of all service provider organizations and it is also a step towards maintaining good governance.

Provincial Finance Minister Dr. Ayesha Ghaus Pasha expressed these views while talking to the heads of telecommunication service providers at Civil Secretariat the other day.

Chairman Punjab Revenue Authority Raheel Ahmed Siddiqui, Additional Secretary Finance Rana Obaid, Special Member Tax Abdul Rehman Warraich as well as representatives of different cellular companies attended the meeting.

At the outset, the Minister maintained that mobile telephone and internet services have become the integral part of daily life. She said that special remission given on sales tax of internet services has helped to improve the growth rate along with helping in business growth of telecommunication sector.

In this regard, the government related responsibilities of telecommunication service providers have also been increased. She impressed upon the heads of telecommunication service providers to play their role as an important stakeholder instead of considering the tax as a burden and present feasible proposals for enhancing the provincial resources.

The CEO of Telenor Irfan Khan put light on impacts and possible remission of taxes imposed on telecommunication services and said that increase in investment by telecommunication service providers will be possible in case of receiving of equal taxes imposed on other services. Other members also presenting their proposals for enhancing the provincial resources.

The Minister asked them to present their proposals in black and white and directed the Punjab Revenue Authority and Finance Department to review the proposals put forth by the telecommunication service providers. These proposals should be presented before resource management committee so that policy could be constituted before budget.

Earlier, the Minister presided over another meeting of resource mobilization committee and directed the tax collecting departments including the Punjab Revenue Authority to solve the problems of traders on priority basis. The demands which can be made part of finance bill should be presented before the committee and the demands which relates to the administration should be solved at the earliest.

She said that opportunities should be created for encouraging investment so as to create more and more opportunities of employment.

Provincial Industries Minister Sheikh Allah Uddin and Members of the Assembly were also present on the occasion.

The meeting discussed the proposals forwarded by different departments for resource mobilization. Industries Minister proposed that tax should not be imposed on such services which are used by the middle class and are a source of employment for the students.

The committee stressed the need to impose unified tax on all services and instead of imposing new tax, recommended review of tariff of already imposed taxes. The Board of Revenue was directed to submit its proposals before the budget along with removal of obstacles in collecting taxes.