Abdul Shakoor Shaikh, a member of the Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) has said that the board has improved Sindh province's capability for tax collection and remained successful in collecting Rs 150 billion in revenue in 2021 against Rs 15 billion in 2011. Addressing the members of the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI), he said that it was made possible by the provincial government's successful policies and the business community’s support.

He stated that the Workers Welfare Fund (WWF) was being supported by the approximately 800 industrial entities that were registered with SRB. He urged strong collaboration between SRB and HCCI, noting that the Supreme Court has stated clearly in its rulings that contributions made under the WWF programme are not taxes but rather are intended for the social welfare of employees and must be used as such. All industrial entities, according to Shaikh, must deposit their funds with the WWF.

He stated that notices have already been sent out for 2021–22, and he asked HCCI to make use of this platform to persuade industrial units to fulfil their WWF obligations for 2021–2022. He stated that the WWF should get 2% of industrial units' profits. Speaking on the occasion, HCCI President Adeel Siddiqui praised the SRB's efforts in increasing tax revenue from Rs 15 billion to Rs 150 billion over the course of the previous 10 years and said that the SRB has grown into a crucial organisation for the Sindh government in terms of tax collection.

He said that the SRB's employees are working with traders and other businesspeople. He hoped that a greater interface would be developed between HCCI and SRB and said that businesspeople wanted to pay taxes to the government. The HCCI president said that the country's business climate has become more challenging and added that political and economic volatility has hurt businesses. He said that traders are always impacted by negative trends in business activities.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk