The taxpayers are not required to purchase separate 'digital signatures' for the electronic filing of sales tax returns, as the 'signature' obtained for filing of income tax returns would be enough to perform other tax-related functions through electronic means.

Official sources told Business Recorder on Thursday that taxpayers could perform all kinds of electronic communications with the CBR by using a single 'digital signatures' purchased from the National Institutional Facilitation Technologies (Pvt) Limited, Karachi.

However, each company or taxpayer would pay an annual fee of Rs 4,500 to the company for obtaining 'digital certificate'.

They stated that initially sales tax returns would be filed electronically and payment would be made manually. In the next phase, filing up of returns and payment both would be done electronically.

The sources said, the tax authorities had not finalised the date for the launching of the project pertaining to sales tax, whereas income tax returns would be electronically accepted in December 2005.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2005