Female buyers can share CNIC of male relatives: FBR

Female customers who do not want to share their identity card number, or do not have an independent source of income, can give the identity card of their male relatives when making purchases, according to a new rule by the Federal Board of Revenue.

On Monday, the FBR issued a sales tax notification to explain the amendments being made to the Sales Tax Act, 1990. Buyers are now mandated to show their Computer National Identity Card (CNIC) when making purchases over Rs50,000 from a sales tax registered person.

“At present there are only 41,484 sales tax registered persons who are paying some tax with their returns,” stated the notification, “This will help bring all people in the tax system.”

One amendment proposes that female buyers show the CNIC of their husband or father when the total bill crosses Rs50,000.

“FBR is fully conversant of cultural constraints and traditions of the country,” the notification states, “Therefore, in case of purchase of Rs. 50,000 by an ordinary consumer being a female, the CNIC of the husband or the father will be considered valid for the purposes.”

The FBR officials later explained that this only applies to women who do not have a valid CNIC or those who do not want to share their CNIC details or those who do not have an independent income, due to which they will not be registered in the tax network.