ISLAMABAD: Nearly 10,000 shopkeepers registered under the Asan Tax Scheme (ATS) in its first month, State Minister for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani said on Friday.

Data on shopkeeper registrations under the tax net was presented at a meeting chaired by Mr Kayani. The meeting reviewed progress in implementing the scheme and was attended by traders` representatives Ajmal Baloch and Kashif Chaudhry.

An official announcement said 9,806 shopkeepers joined ATS within one month of its launch and were at various stages of filing their tax returns.

The meeting was informed that 1,929 of those registered were joining the tax system for the first time, while 428 shopkeepers had already filed their returns. Shopkeepers from both small and major cities had filed returns.

The state minister directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to immediately address technical objections raised by shopkeepers and lawyers regarding the scheme`s implementation.

He also directed the authorities to provide FBR plates to shopkeepers who had filed their returns at the earliest. `The ATS is a unique facility designed specifically for shopkeepers and not available to any other business segment, Mr Kayani said.

He expressed hope that more shopkeepers would join the scheme, saying there was no reason for them to remain non-filers after launch of this ATS.