Govt to install cameras at marriage halls, marquees, farmhouse
In order to tighten the screws around tax evaders, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday ordered the transfer from cash economy to digital economy.
Chairing an important meeting on the revenue collected from the province, the chief minister questioned that if the world could shift from cash to digital, why can t Pakistan? There will be no tolerance towards tax evasion, she said categorically.
It was decided at the meeting that cameras would be installed for the monitoring of marriage halls, food chains, marquees, farm houses in order to take action against those presenting fake receipts and concealing their sales. The meeting pondered over the proposal to make digital payments mandatory at large restaurants rather than cash payments.
CM Maryam also ordered that a report be submitted to her every week on tax collection and sectoral mapping.
The meeting was briefed that revenue collection in the province had gone up by 38 per cent; from Rs250 billion to Rs346 billion. It was told that the Punjab Revenue Authority s jurisdiction had been expanded from 10 to 26 districts.
It was also informed that intelligence and investigation wing and legal wing had already been established in the PRA.
She emphasized a zero-tolerance policy on tax evasion, adding that both surveillance cameras and digital systems would be used to detect irregularities.
Maryam Nawaz Sharif directed authorities to submit weekly reports on tax collection and sector-wise mapping. She also instructed the Punjab Revenue Authority to increase enforcement capacity, expand human resources, and adopt modern technology. She further ordered strengthening the media wing of the Punjab Revenue Authority to improve public awareness about taxation, and said that whenever enforcement actions are taken, the reasons behind them should be clearly communicated to the public through the media.
