Cellular services, power and gas supply to non-fillers will be suspended: FBR chief

The Senate’s Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue Saturday okayed the proposal to impose a foreign travel ban on non-filers the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman has said that electricity and gas connections of the non-filers will be suspended along with cellular services.

The standing committee that met with Saleem Mandviwalla in the chair took a series of decisions. FBR Chairman Zubair Tiwana informed the upper house body that those who failed to file tax returns would face actions under the Income Tax General Order (ITGO), however, exemptions would be given to nationals for Hajj, Umrah, children, students and holders of National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP).

He detailed that non-filers will face suspension of their SIM cards, electricity and gas connections, as well as their businesses could be shut down.

During the session, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Farooq H Naek stressed that the travel restrictions on non-filers should be executed in the same way which were enforced on those who came under the category of exit control list (ECL).

Tiwana further said that a higher withholding tax rate was approved for the non-filers. He added that the non-filer list included 500,000 people with over 2 million in annual income.

He added that the listed individuals had already disclosed their income statements with their tax return documents in the past. The FBR’s top officer said that temporary filers will also have to pay additional tax during the purchases of vehicles, plots and residences.

Additionally, the Senate body also approved a proposal to reduce the salary slab and hike tax besides, approving the imposition of a 75% withholding tax on cellular and internet bills of non-filers.