ISLAMABAD: Finance Adviser Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has ordered the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to expedite the payment of nearly Rs10 billion worth of customs duty drawback to exporters.

The direction came from the adviser in a meeting with office-bearers and members of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) on Tuesday.

Briefing the meeting, FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi said that the tax body had so far received claims for sales tax refunds to the tune of Rs10.14bn pertaining to July-October period.

According to him, cases amounting to Rs8.02bn had already been processed for payment out of which 1,604 cases have been accepted for payment which would be made at the earliest.

Shaikh has directedFBR to take input and suggestions from textile exporters and simplify the H-Form within a week to ease and expedite the processing and payment of sales tax refunds.

He told exporters that the government was not at all interested in keeping their money held up for any length of time and it was willing to listen to and accommodate any solution or recommendations from the exporters to simplify H-Form and ensure prompt payment of sales tax refunds to them.

Earlier, Aptma leaders and members told the adviser they were satisfied with the governmebt`s documentation drive and wanted to process their claims for sales tax refunds through the newly-introduced Form-H.

They said they had formulated their recommendations to further simplify the form in view of certain problems being faced by them in its filling.