Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) has initiated taxpayers’ registration drive for the businesses and withholding agents.

KPRA officials said that the service providers can register themselves with the authority by sharing their identity card number along with a statement on oath through snail mail or online.

In order to bring the service providers into the tax net, KPRA has with the help of the USAID has launched the KP Revenue Mobilization Programme to raise awareness. In this regard, seminars, symposiums and workshops were being arranged across the province besides media campaigns.

KPRA spokesperson Sohail Raza Khattak said that those providing and receiving services in the province should voluntarily register themselves with the authority. Mr Khattak said that hotels chains and individuals ones also fall in the service providers category.

He said that registration procedure as taxpayer was very easy and entirely computerized. He said that withholding agents can register themselves with the authority either online or manually.

Mr Khattak said that foreign companies providing services in KP can register with the authority online while locals can use the manual procedure.

Nawab Ali, assistant director database at the KPRA said that the withholding agents and service providers registration was increasing with each passing year. He said that registration touched 15,000 in 2020-21while it went up to18, 000 in last fiscal.

Besides, he said that the KPRA has projected its current year registration target at 35,000 to 40,000.

Mr Ali said that to increase awareness among masses, authority’s communication department was employing social media, mainstream media and seminars. He said that the media campaigns are employed to inform the public about the importance of paying taxes in the development of the nation.

On the other hand, Mr Khattak said though registration drives were arranged on need basis; however, registration was needed all the time.

He said that department wanted businesses and withholding agents to register themselves voluntarily. Besides, he said that the department was trying to convince the public; however, those resisting registration can also face penalties.

“Voluntarily registration is our priority,” he said.

Mr Khattak said that in order to register oneself as taxpayer one only need to share his identity card copy on which the authority used to register the businesses and withholding agents.

He said that those contractors not registered with the authority should immediately register themselves to make themselves eligible for government contracts.

Regarding the registration drives, he said that in northern region, the authority has held a meeting with the catering association.  However, he said that the association has requested to charged lower ratio of taxes and they have shared their request with the provincial government.

In addition to this, he said that they had also setup a camp in southern region of the province. Mr Khattak said that those wanted to register themselves with the authority can approach the authority on 0333-1421433- and the entire process will not take more than two days.

Mr Khattak said that usually they approach the business and traders bodies to convince them to register themselves with the authority.

He also thanked the USAID for extending help in the registration drive. “We have completed four registration drives last year,” he said.

Mr Khattak said that hospitality sector, hotels, restaurants, beauty parlors, body building clubs, transport and good services and factories were eligible for registration with the authority.

He said that the most of the public complaints were not usually regarding registration; rather, they were about tax as majority of the people considered paying tax as waste of money.

Mr Khattak asked the services providers to cooperate with the authority in filing of returns as well as registrations.

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