Nearly 10,000 traders join Asan tax scheme in its first month: minister

Nearly ten thousand shopkeepers registered for the Asan Tax Scheme (ATS) within the first month of its launch, according to State Minister for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani. This figure was presented during a meeting chaired by Kayani, which reviewed the scheme's progress and was attended by traders Ajmal Baloch and Kashif Chaudhry.

An official announcement revealed that 9,806 shopkeepers had joined the ATS in the month following its launch, with various stages of tax return preparation. Of these, 1,929 were registering for the first time, while 428 had already filed their returns. Shopkeepers from both small and major cities participated in the process. Kayani directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to promptly address technical objections and provide FBR plates to those who had filed their returns as soon as possible.

He emphasized the unique nature of the ATS, designed exclusively for shopkeepers and not offered to any other business segment, expressing hope for further participation from shopkeepers, stating there was no valid reason for them to remain non-filers post the scheme's launch.