Islamabad: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has launched an ambitious expansion of its Tajir Dost Scheme, aiming to register 3.2 million traders and shopkeepers across 42 cities, including key economic hubs like Faisalabad and Sialkot.

According to Zameen.Com, the FBR's initiative has successfully registered approximately 46,000 participants so far. The scheme, recently extended to previously excluded cities like Faisalabad, was affirmed during a video conference involving the FBR Chairman, Regional Tax Offices, and members of the trading community. The meeting established consensus on expanding the registration drive before implementing new tax structures for traders. Cities like Multan, Mardan, and Sukkur are now initiating the registration process under this scheme.

The expansion plan includes a proposed notification by the FBR, set to outline tables of indicative income based on commercial property valuations, with a deadline for finalization by July 15. This move has met with resistance from traders, some of whom threatened to strike, opposing the tax scheme based on property values. The discussions reportedly grew contentious, with exchanges of harsh words and threats of non-compliance from trader representatives.

In response to the standoff, Muhammad Naeem Mir, Chief Coordinator of the Tajir Dost Scheme-2024, presented two solutions. The first proposed a simplified tax return form for traders with a nominal registration fee, which was ultimately rejected by the FBR. The second suggestion was to delay issuing any immediate SROs and to instead set indicative property values after thorough consultation with traders and FBR field offices.