Tax payment has to be compatible with lifestyle: NBR chief

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The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is now engaged in a game of wits with traditional tax dodgers and preparing plans to catch those evading taxes for long, reports UNB.
"We're now engaged in a game of wits with the tax evaders and it'll continue until the end of identification of all the dodgers," NBR Chairman Muhammad Abdul Mazid said Saturday.
He said the tax dodgers would try their level best to evade taxes, but the revenue authorities would also do their part to net them and bring them to book.
Explaining the tactics of the revenue authorities to catch the tax-dodgers, the NBR chief said they have already collected the names and Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TINs) of all associations across the country. "We'll go after those whose income tax is not compatible with their lifestyle," Mazid said.
He said his organisation would also crosscheck the official papers of the employees of big business or corporate houses to have some ideas about their salaries, lifestyle and loan status.
"For example, if you take loan from a bank you have to submit all necessary documents. We'll crosscheck those submitted papers and compare the same with the papers that particular person submitted to us (NBR) with his/her income tax return documents," he said adding, "From this we must get some clues about a person's tax evasion."
Mazid termed this process as the game of wits. The NBR boss also said their new tactics is not to panic the taxpayers. "We have to assure the taxpayers of the fact that we aren't their enemy, we're here just to serve them," he said.
Mazid went on: "At first, we'll approach the taxpayers displaying our soft and mild attitude to get our due taxes from them, but if they continuously try to evade taxes, then we'll have no option but to resort to the game of wits."