The government is reviewing the new slabs announced for personal income tax (PIT) to bring them in line with the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Asim Ahmad, said.
Ahmad saw it as quite the predicament given the narrow tax base which makes it difficult to raise the rate from 35% to 70% for higher income slabs.
Most of the taxpayers were excluded from initial slabs and the government wanted to protect the monthly income earner of Rs200,000.
“It is a difficult situation and different options are under consideration for jacking up rates of income slabs beyond income earner of Rs200,000 per month as this step could reduce the relief from the existing Rs47 billion proposed through the budget,” the FBR chairman FBR said, while talking to reporters outside the Senate Standing Committee on Finance meeting at the Parliament House where a meeting to finalise recommendations for budget 2022-23 was held.
The government is considering keeping low rates for slabs up to income earners of Rs5 million after which all the remaining slabs will be adjusted upwards to recover the existing relief of Rs47 billion on Personal Income Tax and then ensure net collection up to level acceptable to the IMF.
