FBR launches online profile system with 53m people's data for asset declaration scheme

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Friday announced the introduction of an online profile system to make the assets declaration scheme easier. 

Two web portals were launched, with the objective to facilitate citizens to know what data about them was available with the government and make corrections accordingly if required.

Addressing a press conference alongside State Minister for Revenue, Hammad Azhar, FBR chairperson Shabbar Zaidi said access to data has been provided to the public starting today.

"We have data pertaining to travelling, utility bills, and bank transactions," Zaidi said. "People, on basis of their CNIC [computerised national identity card], can obtain their information" from the system, he noted, adding that tax statements can be accessed after providing additional information.

"Data entry on the website will be possible for the amnesty scheme on the basis of CNIC and mobile phone number.

"No person will be able to use another's profile," he warned.

Top officials from the FBR and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) were also present on the occasion.

He said the information available on both the portals — the one created by the NADRA and the other by the FBR itself — could be obtained by following a login process and after answering some system-generated questions.

The NADRA portal could be accessed by paying fees of Rs500.

The FBR portal, however, could be accessed by texting one's CNIC number to 9966, after which a system-based code would be generated and sent to the user's mobile phone, which could be utilized for accessing the FBR portal.

Further, the FBR chair said data on the economic activities of all Pakistani people have been acquired with the help of the NADRA. The governmental body has "all information on bank transactions and utility bills", he added.

He said initial information had been uploaded on the portal and both the NADRA and the FBR would keep updating it.

The FBR website had been made simple and was developed keeping in mind the low literacy rate, he added. In addition, the portal is centralised to reduce human intervention and ensure that nobody could temper or misuse it.

The portals' ultimate objective was to bridge the gap and provide information to the people at their doorsteps, he said, adding that information on both filers and non-filers would be available.

No one would be able to get access to or use another individual's personal information, Zaidi explained, and that the FBR has installed security features in the online profile system. If needed, the security could be further enhanced, he highlighted.

The portals were foolproof, he said, and only genuine individuals could access their personal asset information as the system-generated questions would be based on the user's personal information.

'Nothing to do with taxability'

Apart from the amnesty scheme, citizens can ask the FBR about any information on its database.

The chairperson said the portal would be helpful for people as they might wish to know what information about them was available with the government and could fix their return filing data if incorrect.

Zaidi, however, clarified that this information would not be used for any tax assessment.

“The information has nothing to do with taxability,” he underscored.

In response to a question, Zaidi said the last date of asset declaration scheme would not be extended as Pakistan was going to enter into a bailout package programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the board of which was scheduled to meet on July 3 to consider a three-year extended fund facility.

The FBR did not write letters to the bank account-holders having sums worth more than Rs500,000, Zaidi said, and that the banks had written letters to trace out the "benami accounts" on their own.

Prior govts 'never even prepared any database'

On the other hand, Azhar, the state minister for revenue, congratulated FBR on their success in the data integration process. The body had obtained data on 53 million people, he said, stressing, however, that notices could also be issued on the basis of the data acquired.

Azhar criticised the leadership prior to the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying the past governments had failed despite their tall claims over the past decade.

"The two governments over the past 10 years have been lying," he said.

"They [the previous two governments] had never even prepared any database but the current government has acquired data on 53 million people."

Azhar mentioned that it was initial data and would be enriched with the passage of time. The FBR had also done plaza-mapping to data collection, he added.