How to File Pakistani Tax Returns Online plus get a NTN number [Step by Step Guide]

*How to File Pakistani Tax Returns Online plus get a NTN number [Step by Step Guide]*

Pakistan has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios in the world. For the uninitiated, tax-to-GDP ratios are used to assess a country’s development year after year. They say the higher the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country, the higher the amount of tax revenues a government can earn for the same since the value of goods and services it exports have increased. For the fiscal year 2014-2015, FBR puts it at 9.45%.

With those boring numbers and information out of the way, here’s why people who are employed/salaried should care about filing their income tax returns now more than ever. You must have heard about the furore over bank transactions being taxed more for non-filers.

As it turns out, even real-time interbank transfers will be charged a new withholding tax (WHT) under section 236P of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 for non-filers. All banking transactions will be taxed at 0.3 percent WHT unless they file their income tax returns by Nov 7th 2015.

Moreover, if you file tax returns then chances are you could get better than usual services at airports, excise offices and various other benefits that are not available to non-filers.

And this is where this simplified guide comes in. It will explain how to file tax returns online hassle-free. No longer will you need to hire the services of a lawyer or tax consultant to do it for you.

And since the process of registration is all online, you really don’t have the ‘aint nobody got time for that’ excuse to play (unless you don’t happen to have a CNIC yet, in which case you need to visit the NADRA office near you).

Things You Need to Know Beforehand

If you’re earning 400,000/- PKR or above in a year, then yes, the income tax applies to you. Filing tax returns online can make this a lot convenient. The government determines how much the tax rate applies to your earnings year by year, with the annual Budget determining these rates in June of every year.

Before filing tax returns online via FBR’s portal, you will need to calculate your tax rates for the year 2015 accordingly based under which income slab you fall in.
For Individuals, Get Registered Online with FBR’s E-Enrollment System

*As of Nov 3 2015*, FBR issued an SRO that stated that a filer can use their CNIC number as NTN without the need to go through additional hassles related to registering the NTN (National Tax Number). This development has taken the sting out of registering as a tax payer in Pakistan. Here’s how you can register as one:

You’ll have to get your Registration Number and password first via FBR’s e-Enrollment process. To do that, click here to get to the main page of Iris, FBR’s simplified ERP system for tax payer registration.iris.fbr.gov.pk-screen-1
You’ll need to go to ‘Registration for Unregistered Person’ if you’re a first time user. Provide the information required.You’ll be sent a confirmation input to validate your account (usually an email and/or SMS). You’ll be sent password/PIN to login with your account. Sometimes this process might take a few days for security reasons.iris.fbr.gov.pk-screen-2
Once you’re registered successfully and have logged in by entering your Registration No. and password on the main page of Iris, you can now file your wealth statement.
For salaried persons, you will have to fill wealth statement and income tax returns. The procedure for filling out your details for wealth statement income tax returns are present here.
More detailed help can be found here, concerning FAQs, Registration, Income Tax Returns and more.


*Things to note*

The UserID for Iris is your Registration Number as follows:

In case of individual Pakistani – the 13-digits on CNIC/NICOP (without dashes)
In case of individual Non-Pakistani – the 7-digits NTN (excluding dash and check digit)
In case of AOPs/Companies – the 7-digits NTN (excluding dash and check digit).

*For Companies and AOPs, NTN Registration is Required*
If you are a company/AOP, you can register for NTN (National Tax Number) online. (It’s preferable to use Internet Explorer to do this; there will be problems with Chrome and Mozilla Fox)

*Visit the link http//:e.fbr.gov.pk and select the tab E-registration.*
Mention your CNIC Number, name and load image
Give your date of birth as per CNIC, your residential address, your activity, land line, mobile number and email address
Since you are filling in the form yourself select the ‘Authorized Representative u/s 172 and then select ‘Self’
Click on ‘Save Registry’
Then in the next column, mention your employers NTN and city of your employment if you are an employee. If a businessman, fill in the details of your business as well.
Your application is complete. Click on ‘Print’ to get a print of the application and sign it.
It will alert you if there is an existing NTN from your previous job. If you still have doubts, use your CNIC number to get it.
You will be allotted an NTN after 2 working days via an email.
Meanwhile, enclose a paid electricity bill, salary certificate and copy of CNIC with the printed application and take it to your concerned RTO office. You will be issued the NTN certificate.

*The Last Word*

Hopefully, this guide helps you in filing tax returns online with minimal confusion. As we discussed earlier, the whole idea behind filing your tax returns is so that the government doesn’t apply WHT on your banking transactions with you none the wiser.

When you’re filing a return, you can claim WHT from FBR. After carrying out an audit and evaluating your returns, FBR will send a cheque in case it finds that you qualify for refunds.

If the idea is to enhance and broaden the tax base here, reforms in the taxation sector are necessary. There’s still room for improvement to simplify the tax filing process for citizens and firms alike.

It’s a fair assumption to make that there are many Pakistanis who want to contribute to the well being of the nation and pay their taxes duly, if only it wasn’t so complicated to file your tax returns in the first place.

The government for their part needs to reform the tax machinery in order to facilitate law-abiding citizens of this country. We hope FBR continues to streamline the process of how to file tax returns easily in the near future.

Source
https://propakistani.pk/2015/11/05/pakistanis-guide-to-filing-tax-returns-online/

About investing in Gwadar - What I wrote in 2005

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I have no uncertainty regarding bright future of Gwadar. Insha Allah, it will become better than Dubai as it has nature gifted specialties of deep sea due to which all the world is bound to concentrate on it. No need to go into in detail technicalities. BUT I want to share some points with you which I directly understood from administration of Gwadar.

Few months back when real estate business in Gwadar was on its peak I wanted to make a small investment in Gwadar but my father-in-law (say Mr. Khan who remained DC (Deputy Commissioner) in Dera Bugti, Gwadar and Turbat districts during last 10 years) strictly forbade me for doing so. He is of the view that Govt. of Pakistan wants to develop Gwadar but there are some very real issues which are not being addressed properly. And due to these problems Gwadar will become a problem for all the investors in short term as well as in long term. Also Gwadar will have high level ups and downs.

1. The main problem of Gwadar is water -- When it is in less quantity and also when it is excess quantity. This is permanent problem.

2. The second problem is a Baloch community (My apology from Baloch brothers and sisters. As I myself belong to Baloch family so my discussion should not be taken as a biased one). Baloch feel that investors are like East India Company which ultimately controlled the entire Indo-Pak continent. They are sure that these Punjabis and Karachites will ultimately make them slaves practically and politically. So any development in Gwadar is a death threat for Baloch tradition and system. They will keep on resisting in their own way.

3. Gwadar City Government or GDA has issued Govt. land to different Developers. Those Developers have proper NOC from GDA. Ultimately Govt. will take back all of its land and it will be an irreparable loss for the investors.

4. Govt. wants to keep Gwadar under Federal system but Baloch Sardar will try their best to keep it under the Province. In both cases Law and Order situation will deteriorate (although on short term basis but it will create serious problems).

5. Gwadar in not a worth living place and will not be for at least 15 years. So buying and managing a building / apartment will be only a liability for investors.

6. China / USA interests is another factor but it is totally different aspect so I leave it.

This is what I have understood. I had opportunity to visit almost all the Balochistan and had sitting with different Baloch Sardars, Tumundar and high administration of Balochistan. It was always a heart breaking feeling that Punjabi and Pakistan Army are cursed for each and every problem in Balochistan.

VERY sorry to portray the negative picture but my wish and pray is that LIVE LONG Balochistan and Pakistan. My feeling is that I will surely see a great Gwadar by myself. I will love to see some positive point of views which can negate above points.

Whether Bahria (in near future) will plan some project in Gwadar? What do you think?

Assad replied on Thursday, June 23, 2005 04:57 AM AOA - Sardar sb in my humble opinion these issues are no doubt massive yet they can be resolved. "1. The main problem of Gwadar is water. When it is in less quantity and also when it is excess quantity. This is permanent problem." It can be managed.....rather it is good that we saw a flood in these days there,it will help our planners "2. The second problem is a Baloch community (My apology from Baloch brothers and sisters – As I myself belong to Baloch family so my discussion should not be taken as a biased one). Baloch feel that investors are like East India Company which ultimately controlled the entire Indo-Pak continent. They are sure that these Punjabis and Karachites will ultimately make them slaves practically and politically. So any development in Gwadar is a death threat for Baloch tradition and system. They will keep on resisting in their own way." this is the problem of sardars who never want even a road or school in their kingdom and it can be addressed easily. You must remember Akbar Bugti as a Governor,what he did for Balochis and Balochistan. "3. Gwadar City Government or GDA has issued Govt. land to different Developers. Those Developers have proper NOC from GDA. Ultimately Govt. will take back all of its land and it will be an irreparable loss for the investors." you may be right but to the best of my knowledge land for GDA5 and New World City belonged to Mir Abdul Ghafoor S/O Mir Behram.Likewise land for Golden Palms and Creek City was bought from some local man.... "4. Govt. wants to keep Gwadar under Federal system but Baloch Sardar will try their best to keep it under the Province. In both cases Law and Order situation will deteriorate (although on short term basis but it will create serious problems)." As you must have noticed till now that Balochistan Government has not allocated any funds for Gwadar Port while at the same time they published an ad in the Jang for Gwadar Industrial State which ,according to that ad,will create 200,000.00 jobs for BALOCHIS of course.This is not about the Port.Federal Government has however allocated and even released handsome funds for the project. "5. Gwadar in not a worth living place and will not be for at least 15 years. So buying and managing a building / apartment will be only a liability for investors." As soon as the business activities start there you will witness daramatic and very rapid changes there because people will live there for the buisness.It depends on GDA how they people attract investors for their projects like ducation City,Resorts.Moreover Hospital by British Medical Association in Golden Palms is a very good project that will bring people all arround Gulf and Asia for treatment. "6. China / USA interests is another factor but it is totally different aspect so I leave it." This is the most important aspect.... If Gwadar was only a national Project,it would have been delayed till .....nobody knows. Gwadar Port is very important for China ,it has diversified benefits for China.I mention here only one.China is using currently Shanghai and it takes them many days and yes fuel too to reach in Gulf while in case of Gwadar they travel only KM land and they reach at the mouth of Gulf. SO DON'T FEEL TOO MUCH DEPRESSED OUR GOVERNMENT IS PUTTING ITS BEST .......... Take Care

Ahmed replied on Thursday, June 23, 2005 05:29 AM Good article. I will like to express some views of mine on Gawadar as well this general sense of anti-punjabi prevailing in all 3 provinces of Pakistan. Even Mr. Jinnah knew of this problem of provincialism; no wonder he gave so many speeches warning people against it and promoting harmony and unity and the concept of "Pakistan". It's unfortunate that ever since mr. Jinnah, we haven't had a single politician who hasn't tried to manipulate this issue to his/her own advantage. Punjab was, is and will always be the most prosperous province of Pakistan. It has the most fertile land, the most suitable terrain, raadily available water for drinking and irrigation. These are all natural factors. It's the law of nature that a province with these many advantages over other privinces is bound to be dominating. Instead of trying to accept this fact and working a sense of unity around it, we have just tried to hold people of punjab responsible for so many problems facing these small provinces. It is very disappointing to hear Balochs, sindhis(exluding karachi) and to some extent Pathans in nwfp blaming punjab for each and every issue. All these areas are being manipulated by tribal lords, who themselves live such a lavish lifestyle while their subordinates are living a very very ordinary life. In Punjab, there is at least a middle class, while in most areas of other provinces, there is no middle class. It's the super rich and influential lords and then then poor. That day i was talking to a wapda officer about the extremely high tarriffs prevelant in Pakistan. He raised an interesting point that only if people in Interior sindh, tribal areas of Balochistan and NWFP and also regions in southern Punjab were to pay their bills and stop stealing electricity, the countrywide tarriffs would come down. WAPDA is following the principle of squeezing everything out of people who are already paying their bills to compensate for such a big majority who are not. Go to NWFP and their is an complete absence of tax culture. Paying tax is considered an anomaly and a very uncommon thing. These lords in Baluchistan who are opposing Gawadar are just afraid of losing their own influence over their subjects. I agree with the points in this article that Gawadar is not at all a good place for investors. My biggest concern is the lack of infrastructure there. Ideally, you should build roads, railway tracks, schools and colleges, housing societies, entertainment areas, water and sewerage facilities FIRST and then develop the sea port. Even if the sea port is all developed and running, do you really expect people to move to gawadar just for the sea port? who will go there when they can't have proper housing facilities, good schools for their kids, places where their kids can go for fun and entertainment, a sense of security and well being. Where's the road and rail link to Central asia? Shouldn't that be already in place by the time the port is up and running?

Courtesy: http://www.lahorerealestate.com/ads/lrecomment.php?gb_id=7818

Third Balloting of Sector F Bahria Town Lahore

Third ballotting of Sector F, Bahria Town Lahore is going to held on May 30, 2016.
All the files which are full paid will be included in upcoming balloting.

Lahore Ring Road Route in Bahria Town Lahore - Now its Lahore Ring Road Authority's Turn

Recently Bahria Town Lahore management issued an official announcement in which impression was given that Lahore Ring Road Route is being changed and it may not be disturbing Bahria Town Lahore projects anymore.

Now, Lahore Ring Road Authority has displayed hoardings and banners on Raiwind Road Lahore which state that no change in Lahore Ring Road Route is under consideration by the Government. Further more, it states, there is no possibility of change in the route in future as well.

Lets see how things proceed.

Bahria Town Lahore - Official Announcement about Lahore Ring Road Route

Bahria Town Management officially made an announcement about Lahore Ring Road Route passing through Bahria Town Lahore. It was badly needed as members of Sector E, Golf View Residencia, Tulip Extension were highly disturbed and no official information was being provided to them.

Universal Property Network (UPN) confirmed from its own sources that the letter is issued by Bahria Town offices.

The Factors Behind a Good Real Estate Investment (Ahmed Kildir)

These are in my view the factors behind a good real estate investment. Every investor should keep these in mind while evaluating a prospective real estate investment. 

1. The hassle of buying

How easy is it to complete the purchase. People regularly investing in 2nd tier societies or farm lands can tell you that buying can be a trying experience. Tier 1 societies need to ensure that the buying process is smooth. A good example is DHA which ensures that your entire purchase is done in 1-3 days. Also, buying should be cheap. The developer and the government should not make it more difficult to buy by increasing buying costs, duties or taxes. It actually has a negative effect especially on smaller investors.

2. The hassle of selling

How easy it is to sell the property. This, in my view, is the most important part of the purchase. You should invest in a society which has a ‘market’ both locally and overseas – especially overseas as overseas investors tend to keep most of their savings in property instead of bonds (due to religious reasons) or stocks (high risk and the hassle of constant monitoring). If you actually have to ‘explain’ your investment to someone, it means not enough people have heard of it. This is why I have always invested in DHA as everyone knows DHA andBahria Town. Bahria Town too is a great investment but I strongly believe that Malik Riaz should solve investor issues in Karachi (illegal land), Lahore (Ring Road) and Islamabad (Enclave 2) before he launches any new societies (Bahria Sports City recently announced in Karachi). Credibility should not be compromised at any cost. DHA too has its issues but nowhere close to the issues Bahria is facing.

3. How safe is your investment

Investing in unknown developers with no recognizable ‘local’ history has a higher risk than investing in known developers. The known developers have a reputation to maintain. Any developer which is new to the real estate business in Pakistan should be very carefully assessed before handing them your hard earned money regardless of how big it is in its home country. An example would be Emaar which is big in UAE, Saudi and Egypt but has proven to be unreliable in Pakistan.

4. How big is your investment

Times are changing. 10 years ago there was a much smaller market for 5,8 and 10 marla plots. Now the market is much bigger for smaller plots as many entry level investors have access to it. Younger investors in their 20s and 30s have no problem investing in smaller plots thus creating a good demand. Older investors still tend to go for 1 kanal plots. I would strongly suggest investors to think big by buying small whenever possible.

5. How mature is your investment

I would strongly urge investors to invest in societies which are in early stages of maturity. A similarly placed 3 crore plot in phase 6 and a 2 crore plot in phase 8 will be the same price in the future of a 1 crore similarly placed plot in Prism. However, if you intend to build a home, Prism is not for you.

6. Location, location, location – need I say more?

7. What is the wow factor in your property?

When buying a property, think of how you will sell it to a future investor? How will you advertise it? Is it close to retail? Close to a park? Close to a mega project? Close to the highway? Good schools in proximity? A Is it a clean plot not facing a graveyard or a boundary?

8. Who is your dealer?

Always, always, always double/triple/quadruple check the reputation of your property dealer. Question him/her on everything. Do a lot of paperwork. A lot of dealers will ask you for key money in ‘cash’. This is where it can turn ugly. A lot of dealers will try to avoid your meetup with the seller/buyer so to avoid the actual property value and make money from the ‘key money’. Don’t involve cash and do all transactions in a traceable manner i.e. manager’s cheques, drafts etc. 

Courtesy: Lahore Real Estate

Change in Bahria Town Lahore Non-Construction Charges Policy

Bahria Town Lahore management imposed Non-Construction charges of Rs.500,000/= per year for 1 Kanal plots with effect from February 28, 2016. This is applicable to all projects for which possession was announced more than 3 years ago. Bahria Town Lahore Sector C and Bahria Orchard phase 1 members are specially affected by this decision.

Bahria Town Lahore announced possession of its Sector C plots around 7 years ago. As per Bahria Town policy the non construction charges were applicable after three years of possession announced (without an affect whether an owner applied for possession or not). This decision of Bahria Town is a tactic to populate the area. With the start of construction activity in the area, the business activities boost up followed by increase in the market rate of plots.

We should understand that Bahria Town is not a missionary organisation. It keeps on taking steps and measures that investors and buyers are attracted to its projects. When members are in the position to earn high, it is then Bahria Town's time to take its share from their high level profit.

The ground reality is that the rates of Bahria Town Sector C possession plots have increased at least Rs.15 Lac during last one year. This trend does not seem changing in near future due to limited supply and high demand for Sector C plots. The uncertainty issue of Lahore Ring Road Route has made the Sector C and other possession plots first choice of contractors and residents. Bahria Town management understands this fact and wants to take its share either from profit, construction fees or transfer fees. Whatever decision an owner of possession plot takes, Bahria Town will be earning at least Rs.500,000/= from a 1 Kanal plot.

This non construction fee is likely to increase in coming years. If members have no plans to construct a home on its plot, it is better to shift the investment in other projects. Even within Bahria Town projects there are many options where non construction charges are not yet applicable.

I have already written on the subject. You may go through this post if needed.