The Ministry and Law and Justice has started vetting the RGST document drafted by the Federal Board of Revenue for early enforcement of the new law. Sources told Business Recorder here on Wednesday that since the draft RGST law is being vetted it is not possible for the FBR to hold awareness seminars in the absence of the final law.

The new date for seminars would be communicated to the field formations after finalisation of the RGST law. The FBR had issued a plan to the field formations few weeks back to convene consultative seminars with active participation of the business and trade community.

According to the plan, seminar would be held in Islamabad/Rawalpindi on October 11, Faisalabad October 18, Karachi October 28, Sialkot November 2, Peshawar November 8, Multan November 23, Quetta December 8, Hyderabad December 9 and seminar would be arranged at Lahore on December 21, 2010.

Later, the FBR on Wednesday issued instructions to the Regional Tax Offices that the said schedule of the seminars has been cancelled and a revised schedule will be communicated to the field formations shortly. The FBR order clearly shows that the business community would be given very less time to go through the provisions of the RGST. Secondly, the FBR may not be in a position to amend the draft of the RGST vetted by the Law Division in case private sector raises serious concern over some of the provisions of the new law.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2010