Tag: notification

  • Pakistan forms new body led my three-star military general to expand tax base

    Pakistan forms new body led my three-star military general to expand tax base

    The government has established a new committee, led by a three-star military general, to oversee data integration efforts aimed at expanding the tax base.

    This move precedes the imminent arrival of a technical mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), tasked with assessing Pakistan’s tax system.

    Lieutenant General Muhammad Munir Afsar Chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), will head the technical committee, as notified by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

    The newly formed committee will devise proposals for data integration to expand the tax base and formulate an IT infrastructure transformation plan.

    The eight-member committee, consisting of three senior FBR members, has been tasked with crafting a comprehensive plan for data integration. Their primary objective is to significantly increase the number of income tax return filers, aiming to elevate last year’s count of 4.9 million to 6.5 million within the next eight months, as outlined in an official notification.

    As reported by Express Tribune, Pakistan has shared an FBR restructuring plan with the IMF, outlining the integration of 145 entities into the FBR network to expand the tax base. However, the Prime Minister has withheld approval, instructing further refinement to address ambiguities and contradictions in the proposed restructuring plan.

    This strategic initiative aligns with the impending visit of an IMF technical mission to Pakistan, scheduled to commence next week.

    The mission will conduct a thorough review of the country’s tax laws and FBR’s administrative structure, ultimately delivering recommendations within two months. These suggestions may serve as a foundation for the upcoming IMF program.

  • 17.5% increase in pension announced for federal govt retirees

    17.5% increase in pension announced for federal govt retirees

    The government has issued a notification announcing a 17.5 per cent increase in the pension for federal government pensioners. The increase, sanctioned by the President, will be effective from 18th July 2023 until further orders. It applies to all civil pensioners of the federal government, including civilians paid from Defence Estimates, as well as retired armed forces personnel and civil armed forces personnel.

    The 17.5 per cent increase in pension will also be applicable to pensioners who retire on or after 1st July 2023. To determine the eligibility for the increase in pension as sanctioned in this notification, “Net Pension” refers to the pension being drawn minus the Medical Allowance.

    In addition, the increase will be granted to family pensioners under the Pension-cum-Gratuity Scheme of 1954, the Liberalized Pension Rules of 1977, pensions sanctioned under the Central Civil Services (Extra Ordinary Pension) Rules, as well as the Compassionate Allowance under CSR-353.

    If the gross pension sanctioned by the federal government is shared with another government in accordance with the rules stated in Part-IV of Appendix-III to the Accounts Code, Volume-I, the increase in pension will be divided proportionately between the federal government and the other government concerned.

    However, the increase in pension as sanctioned in this notification will not be applicable to the special additional pension granted in place of pre-retirement orderly allowance and the monetized value of a driver or an orderly.

  • SBP calls for action against unauthorised mobile apps providing online banking services

    SBP calls for action against unauthorised mobile apps providing online banking services

    The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has raised concerns about commercial banks jeopardising depositors’ funds by allowing unauthorised mobile phone applications to offer online banking services to clients.

    The central bank issued a notification to regulated entities (REs) that provide digital banking services, warning about the use of unlicensed digital lending mobile applications and platforms.

    These applications integrate with customers’ bank accounts for loan disbursement, creditworthiness checks, and collections, posing consumer protection risks and potential harm to banks’ reputation.

    Regulated entities encompass commercial banks, microfinance banks (MFBs), payment system operators, payment service providers, and electronic money institutions (EMIs).

    The central bank explicitly stated that REs should not provide services such as deposits, lending products, mobile application integration with third parties, payment gateway services, credit scoring and creditworthiness checks, wallet services, and/or API integration services to unlicensed digital lending platforms, whether directly or indirectly.

    IT expert Noman Ahmad, speaking to The Express Tribune, emphasised the need for the central bank to disclose the names of financial institutions offering services through unlicensed applications. By doing so, depositors would have the opportunity to withdraw and safeguard their deposits before any unexpected events occur. He expressed surprise that unauthorised mobile platforms were offering banking services despite the SBP’s status as a responsible regulator.

    Banks in Pakistan manage deposits totaling approximately Rs23 trillion and serve 67.52 million depositors in a population of 227 million. The country has 103 million branchless banking accounts, while EMIs oversee 1.60 million accounts (e-wallets).

    The SBP’s notification advises REs to verify the licensing status and authorisation of digital lending platforms and mobile applications from relevant regulatory bodies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the central bank itself. This verification should be conducted as part of the know-your-client and customer due diligence processes.

    Furthermore, REs are urged to implement reasonable measures during customer onboarding and transaction monitoring to prevent unauthorised financial service providers from utilising their banking channels and platforms, either directly or indirectly.

  • Life-saving medicines in Pakistan to become 14% more expensive

    Life-saving medicines in Pakistan to become 14% more expensive

    The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has announced an increase of up to 14 per cent in the prices of life-saving medicines, following approval from the federal government.

    According to ARY News, DRAP stated that life-saving drugs will experience a 14 per cent hike, while all other medicines will see a 20 per cent increase.

    The regulatory authority clarified that these price adjustments are considered a one-time dispensation, in line with the 70 per cent rise in the consumer price index (CPI). This increase will be regarded as the annual raise for the fiscal year 2023-24, with no further increments in the upcoming financial year.

    The DRAP’s Policy Board will evaluate the situation after three months, specifically in July 2023, and submit recommendations to the federal government for potential price reductions, should the Rupee appreciate in value.

    The Economic Advisory Committee had already endorsed the price hike, taking into account the escalating fuel prices and the devaluation of the Rupee, which have contributed to record-high inflation in recent months, impacting various sectors of the economy.

    Earlier reports indicated a 0.16 per cent year-on-year decrease in weekly inflation, as measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), for the week ending on May 18. However, short-term inflation surged to an unprecedented 48.35 per cent for the period ending on May 4.

    The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) released data indicating a combined index of 255.12, compared to 255.53 on May 11, 2023. In contrast, the index stood at 175.08 a year ago, on May 19, 2022.

  • Relief for workers as Punjab govt raises minimum wage to Rs32,000 per month

    Relief for workers as Punjab govt raises minimum wage to Rs32,000 per month

    The Punjab government has announced an increase in the minimum wage for unskilled workers from Rs25,000 to Rs32,000 per month, providing some relief to workers during a period of skyrocketing inflation.

    This increase of Rs7,000 was made official through a notification issued by the interim government on Thursday. It is worth noting that in April of last year, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif announced a minimum wage increase for government employees to Rs25,000 and a 10 per cent increase in civil and military pensions for retired employees.

    Following this announcement, the Punjab government set the minimum wage at Rs25,000. On January 31, 2023, Asif Ali Zardari, the former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairperson, proposed to the coalition government that the minimum wage should be raised to Rs35,000.

    Zardari emphasised that the government should take responsibility for providing relief to workers and take far-reaching measures to address the problems faced by the masses.

  • ECP de-notifies Khan from six National Assembly seats

    ECP de-notifies Khan from six National Assembly seats

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has de-notified Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan from six seats of the National Assembly (NA) that the former Prime Minister won last year in by-elections.

    According to a notification issued by the commission, Imran has been de-notified from the NA-22 Mardan-III, NA-24 Charsadda-II, NA-31 Peshawar-V, NA-108 Faisalabad-VIII, NA-118 Nankana Sahib-II, NA-Korangi Karachi-I seats. These seats are now vacant.

    In October, Khan had broken a record by winning six out of seven seats of NA against candidates of various parties that are part of the ruling coalition.

    Later, he also won NA-45 (Kurram seat), the only seat he is left with after ECP’s notice.

    The PTI chairman broke his own record of victory on five seats which were the most by a single candidate in any election.

  • Govt officials directed to set ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ ringtone on phones

    Govt officials directed to set ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ ringtone on phones

    The Balochistan government has directed government officials to set the “Pakistan Zindabad” ringtone on their mobile phones, Geo News reported.

    A statement issued by the Balochistan government stated that it was decided in a meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary that the administrative secretaries, additional secretaries, deputy secretaries and heads of relevant institutions should set the ringtone of “Pakistan Zindabad” on their mobile phones networks.

    The notification also added the procedure to set the caller tune for different mobile networks.

  • Punjab bans recordings of films, dramas at mosques, shrines

    The Punjab Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department has banned the shooting of films and dramas in mosques and shrines after the recent controversy surrounding Bilal Saeed and Saba Qamar’s latest song Qubool which was shot at Lahore’s historical Masjid Wazir Khan.

    According to details, a notification dated August 13, 2020, states that if any act is recorded in a mosque or a shrine, the relevant manager and zonal administrator would be responsible.

    The approval to shoot a documentary in these sites will be subject to consultation with the department of religious affairs, it adds.

    The Auqaf department’s notification specified that no shooting featuring a woman in a shrine or mosque will be allowed.

    Approximately 544 shrines and 437 mosques fall under the management of the department, which has been listed in its notification issued last week.

    Read More – Fahad Mustafa, Iqrar ul Hassan extend support to Saba, Bilal after music video backlash

    The decision came after public outcry against the shoot of a music video featuring Bilal Saeed and Saba Qamar at Wazir Khan mosque in Lahore. Though the two artists publicly apologised for hurting public sentiment and removed the sequence from their music video, they received a lot of backlash and cases were also registered over the scene picturized at the mosque.

  • Fact Check: Notification asking barbers’ not to style customers’ beards is fake

    Fact Check: Notification asking barbers’ not to style customers’ beards is fake

    Claim: A notification has been issued claiming that the barbers are now forbidden from styling their customers’ beard

    Fact: This was a fake notification according to the Balochistan Government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani

    A notification stating that barbers who style their customer’s beards will be charged with blasphemy is doing the rounds on social media.

    However, Spokesperson of the Balochistan Government, Liaquat Shahwani said that the notification is fake.

    “Balochistan Govt has got nothing to do with personal matters of citizens”, wrote Shahwani on Twitter.

    Earlier, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Rukhsana Kausar had tabled a resolution in the provincial house of Punjab seeking a ban on beard styling and action against men with fashionable beards as well as their barbers. However, it was never implemented.

    VERDICT: FALSE

  • How to manage ‘annoying’ cellphone notifications

    How to manage ‘annoying’ cellphone notifications

    Apps and websites regularly push alerts to your devices. Though they are sometimes useful, in most cases they are annoying and unwanted. Here’s what you do to get rid of this once and for all.

    Early Decision

    The first time you open a newly downloaded app, it may ask for permission to send you notifications. You can say no. Alerts from apps like weather or local news media can be important but most e-commerce apps only send unnecessary coupon alerts in unlimited numbers. These notifications are not personalised and consequently, you feel like you’re running a grocery store.

    Opting out here does not mean you can never get those notifications. Later, if you decide you really want those alerts, you can always enable them in your system settings for notification alert. Here is how you can do it:

    Configure your smartphone settings

    For Android

    Some apps may have notification controls in their own settings, but you can also manage alerts in your device’s Settings section. Just look for “Notifications” or “Apps & Notifications.” In the Notification settings, look for a list of apps and select the one you want to change.

    In some situations, a user wants more personalization so in that case, you can tweak your apps by further digging into the settings as shown below.

    For IOS Apple

    In IOS 13 (mobile operating software for iPhone, tap the button at the top of an app’s settings screen to allow or disable notifications. If you decide to keep the notification on, you can adjust where and how it appears on your device. If you don’t want a banner alert popping up on the lock screen, you can downgrade it directly to the IOS Notification Center area so you can browse all your updates at once later on.

    By utilizing these settings, if not completely, then to a great extend your problem with notification bombardment would be curtailed.