NBR think tank in the offing

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is going to set up a 'Tax
Information Management and Research Centre.' On August 16 , the NBR
formed a committee with the director general of the Central
Intelligence Cell as its head to work out the activities and
jurisdiction of this centre, as proposed by the finance minister in
his budget speech. The committee was actually given two weeks' time
for submitting its report by August 30. But in its first meeting on
August 23 , the committee members sought three months more to submit
the report. According to a member of the committee, the ' Tax
Information Management and Research Centre ' will act as the think
thank of the NBR. Once set up, the centre will be able to provide
more appropriate information to the NBR regarding any government
decision on revenue matters. "In every developed country of the
world, there are such centres which help the government take
decisions about revenue matters," he said. He said the centre will
evaluate the tax measurers, particularly the facilities given to the
taxpayers or industries. NBR sources said the government decided to
enhance the tax-GDP ratio, which is very poor in the country --
around 8 , the lowest in the subcontinent.