RECORDER REPORT
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Monday, released the Active Taxpayers’ List for the Tax Year 2020 as on March 1, 2021.
Official sources told Business Recorder that the income tax returns for tax year 2020 have reached 2.62 million compared to 2.43 million last year, showing an increase of eight percent.
However, the updated ATL contain data of over 2.1 million taxpayers as the rest have not paid the late filing surcharge needed to be on the latest ATL.
The tax deposited with returns was Rs49.6 billion during tax year 2020 as compared to only Rs31.0 billion deposited for tax year 2019, showing an increase of 60 percent.
The new list has been published in accordance with the provisions of Rule 81B of the Income Tax Rules, 2002.
The Active Taxpayers List of Azad Jammu and Kashmir is to be considered at par with the ATL (Income Tax) after amendment in the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 through Finance Act, 2018.
Previously, the FBR’s ATL was linked with income tax returns for Tax Year 2019.
The ATL is a central record of online income tax return filers for the previous tax year.
The ATL is published every financial year on the 1st March and is valid up to the last day of February of the next financial year.
A person on the ATL can avail many benefits.
They are not subjected to withholding tax on cash withdrawals, other banking transactions, payment of fee to educational institutions etc.
Similarly, for such persons, tax on imports, dividends, goods, services and contracts, profit on debt, prize and winnings, purchase of motor vehicles, purchase and sale of property etc is withheld at a lesser rate.
The ATL will include the persons who have filed income tax returns for tax year 2020 within the due date or the dates extended by the concerned Commissioner Inland Revenue.
Subsequently, the ATL shall be updated on a weekly basis every Sunday at 2400 hours.
The ATL is available on the FBR’s website as well as Tax Asaan App.
The ATL status of individuals can also be checked by typing message “ATL (space) 13 digits Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC)” and sending to 9966.
For checking ATL status of AOP or a company, one will have to type “ATL (space) 7 digits National Tax Number (NTN)” and send it to 9966.
