' Iran’s taxation system should be overhauled'

The existing taxation system in Iran is suffering from profound shortcomings both in regulations and in processes and should be overhauled, IRNA quoted Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Shamseddin Hosseini as saying.

Tax paying should be promoted in society more than in the past, he said, adding that attaining objectives of the national economic development plan requires extensive modifications of the whole taxation system.

Iran foresees 370 trillion rials (about $31 billion) in tax revenues and 110 trillion rials (about $9 billion) in charged income for the next Iranian fiscal year which begins on March 21, 2013, the Fars News Agency quoted State Tax Affairs Organisation's deputy director Hossein Vakili as saying on Saturday.

The next year's national budget bill has envisaged 370 trillion rials in tax revenues compared to 340 trillion rials in the current year's budget bill, he said, adding that charged income has been envisaged to remain unchanged at 110 trillion rials.

On November 28, ISNA quoted the State Tax Affairs Organisation's director Ali Askari as saying that Iran gained roughly 194 trillion rials (about $16 billion) in direct tax incomes during the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year which began on March 20.

He added that direct and indirect tax incomes grew by 20 per cent and 43 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year.

On October 31, ILNA quoted Tehran Chamber of Commerce chairman Yahya Al-e Es'haq as saying that Iran will replace oil incomes with tax revenues in the next calendar year's national budget act.

The next year's budget act has paid special attention to tax incomes, he said, adding that tax incomes will be the main source of securing the state budget.


/Trend/