Reportedly the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has started evaluating alternative proposals to replace the controversial reformed general sales tax (RGST) in case the government failed to get it approved from the parliament. The reformed general sales tax (RGST) is part of the three key reforms prescribed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to prop up the economy. The tax, seen as inflationary, has been widely criticised by politicians and industrialists since it was announced in budget last year. The government twice missed the deadline to implement the tax and Premier Gilani’s recent comments to delay RGST amidst a political imbroglio end the remaining hope of its early implementation. “Withholding tax is being considered as an alternative tool to broaden the tax base,” an official in the revenue body said on the condition of anonymity. The proposed reformed general sales tax aims to increase documentation in a country, which has 9.6 percent tax-to-GDP ratio, one of the lowest in the world. Full Story