ISLAMABAD: Telecommunication firms about to ban around 9,100 SIM cards of non-tax payers on a proposal from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
FBR Spokesperson Bakhtiar Ahmed Khan told ARY News that they have supplied data on 30,000 non-filers to cellular operators, implying that additional SIM cards might be banned.
Bakhtiar Ahmed Khan stated that the FBR will supply telecom firms with data on 5,000 non-filers on a daily basis in order to take stern action against them.
According to the spokeswoman, the FBR has identified more than 550,000 non-filers.
Previously, the FBR agreed to levy an extra 87.5 percent withholding tax on non-tax filers phone users for mobile top-up.
According to the specifications, non-filers must pay a 90% withholding tax on mobile top-ups until they file their income tax reports. According to the suggestion, if a non-filer user loads a balance of Rs 100, he would receive just Rs 10 since Rs 90 will be withheld as tax.
If mobile phone carriers ban SIM cards due to nonpayment of income tax, and the user purchases another SIM, he will still be charged 90% of the tax. Non-filers will face extra taxes on each top-up and bundle.
The FBR sent records of nearly 500,000 non-filers with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and cellular carriers, requesting that their SIM cards be blocked. However, the PTA and cellular carriers denied the FBR’s proposal.
Maria Ghanchi