President  Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry  Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari has said that the ICCI has forwarded  the proposals for  budget-2024-25 to the Finance Ministry  and that to widen the tax net  consultations with business community  and formulation of joint committees at district levels are need of the hour. He said this while addressing the ‘ Tajir Dost  Scheme’ seminar held here at the Chamber House which was largely attended by the business leaders of Islamabad as well as the  Chief Commissioner Operations Regional Tax Abid Mehmood and his team.

Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari said that business community of the country is well aware of the significance of the tax for economic development, that’s why it always remained at the forefront for paying the tax.  He termed the track and trace system as imperative to check those involved in tax evasion and underlined the need for large scale reforms in Federal Board of Revenue and called for privatization of losing making government entities and promotion of exports for a sustainable journey towards the economic stability.  Demanding incentives in the budget to allure investors for strengthening the economy, he went on to say that NTN must be declared mandatory for opening of bank accounts and for sale and purchase of properties  and that supplies to retailers having no NTN should be stopped henceforth. He said that all this process should be completed pleasingly without any intimidation and bullying. 

He said that launching of an amnesty scheme in the budget for bringing the  non-filers in the tax net will also go a long way to achieve the goal, asserting that the Government should acknowledge and honour the outstanding business leaders as national role models by conferring them national awards.

In his address, Chief Commissioner Regional Tax Abid Mehmood said that till now 2187 traders belonging to different area of Islamabad have got them voluntarily registered under the Tajir Dost Scheme. He assured that there will be no harassment or threats hurling to traders for the purpose and that doors of his office are opened for the community to facilitate it in the process.  He also expressed his gratitude to ICCI President and his team for the cooperation on the subject and therein organizing the seminar. 

Mr. Naeem Mir, Chief Coordinator Tajir Dost Scheme explained in detail the merits of the Tajir Dost Scheme by asserting that removal of traders reservations about this particular scheme   must also be removed.

President All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajran Ajmal Baloch said that the government has to repose confidence in business community if it really wants to broaden the tax net. He also called for lessening the tax rate for the success of the Scheme. 

Senior Vice President ICCI Faad Waheed and Vice President Engr. Azhar ul Islam Zafar said that like other citizens’ traders are also duty -bound to pay tax with full honesty but provision of level playing field for ease of doing business is also equally important for the task. 

Convener Tajar Dost Scheme, Islamabad Shaikh Jamshaid Akhtar said that he wil sincerely play the role of a bridge between the government and the business community to make the Scheme a result oriented.

ICCI member Mian Mohammad Ramazan briefed the attendees about the Scheme through a presentation.

ICCI executives Rizwan Chheena, Fassihullah Khan, Ch. Mohammad Ali, Akhtar Abbasi, Ashfaq Chattah as well as Khalid Chaudhry,  Abdur Rehman Siddiqui, Zahid Qureshi, Naeem Akhtar Awan, Ch. Irfan, Malik Nadeem and other also attended the seminar.