IRO Pokhara adds 13,500 new taxpayers

Published On: August 12, 2016 03:20 AM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel


POKHARA, Aug 12: More than 13,500 new taxpayers registered with the Inland Revenue Office, Pokhara, in Fiscal Year 2015/16.

With this, the number of taxpayers in 10 districts of Gandaki and Dhaulagiri zone, which fall under the jurisdiction of Inland Revenue Office, Pokhara, has reached 66,500.

“Tax compliance among people is increasing with each passing year. We managed to add more than 13,500 new taxpayers in 2015/16,” Lekhnath Sharma, the chief revenue officer at Inland Revenue Office, Pokhara, said, adding: “Rise in the number of taxpayers will help us to meet revenue target.”    

Statistics of revenue office shows that 6,798 new firms were registered with PAN, while 5,594 obtained individual PAN. Similarly, 737 new taxpayers registered with VAT while 553 received excise duty license.

“It is good to note that many people are voluntarily coming within the tax network,” added Sharma.

The office had added 12,000 new taxpayers in 2014/15.

According to Sharma, more than 80 percent of new taxpayers are based in Pokhara Valley. “Many individuals and firms are still not in tax net,” Sharma said, adding: “Our revenue will increase significantly once these firms and individuals come within the tax network.”

Though the office has been running several awareness programs, Sharma said that many big businesses and trading houses are still not showing tax compliance. “Though businesses and individuals from remote areas are coming into tax network, many big trading houses and businesses in cities are still showing reluctance,” he added.

Sharma further added that many business houses and traders are cold-shouldering their calls to submit their transaction details. “This is because of weak tax administration.

However, we are leaving no stone unturned to bring them under tax net,” he said.

Many big crusher industries, health institutions, educational institutions, hardware companies and automobile entrepreneurs, among others, are still to show tax compliance, according to Sharma.


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