The Federal Board of Revenue is one of the most crucial and sensitive organizations of Pakistan. It is a federal regulatory body responsible for the collection of taxes, evaluation of tax anomalies, investigation of financial crimes, and money laundering.
The importance of digital integration for the regulatory organizations was seen by FBR and they signed an MOU last year for an FBR point of sale platform.
This initiative by FBR directly translates into ease of recording sales in real-time for mass-market retailers. The primary benefit of this Electronic Device System is that taxation can be managed in a smoother and more accurate manner.
The notice by FBR necessitates all mall shops, brand stores, hypermarkets, chain stores, hotels, cafes, restaurants, and snack outlets to have a POS installed from 1st December 2020.
Whether a particular retailer falls under the tier 1 category defined by FBR or not, they have to ensure there is a point of sale integration for their outlet with FBR’s electronic device system.
The Benefits of FBR POS integration
An integrated POS system will eliminate the need for FBR to conduct periodic tax evaluations and make filing sales tax returns easier for retailers. All that needs to be done is to download the invoicing system, which prints a barcode or QR code on every invoice generated from the POS for each sale. The same information is simultaneously transferred to the FBR’s servers due to the integrated FBR point of sale system.
The POS systems available for retailers have the ability to account for any returns or exchanges and incorporate them in the sales data that is shared with FBR. In order to know if you lie in the tier 1 category referred to by FBR it would be helpful to match your business against the following list:
- A retail outlet that is either a branch or franchise of a domestic or international brand falls in this category.
- Any retail outlets that are located in air-conditioned spaces like malls belong to this category.
- A retail outlet whose annual electricity bill exceeds Rs. 6 lacs is part of the tier 1 category of FBR.
- Any retail outlet that has a total covered area equal to or greater than 1000 square feet is in this category.
- Any wholesalers who import products in bulk and sell locally to other retailers or wholesalers are part of the tier 1 category.
The FBR point of sale integration offers a lot of convenience to consumers as well. Individuals making purchases no longer have to worry about their sales tax being deposited in the FBR or not. They can easily check this by downloading the Tax Asaan application by FBR and scan the barcode or QR code on their receipts to check the status of their sales tax.
Customers shopping for leather products or textile products from retailers integrated with the FBR POS system get to enjoy additional discounts as well.
Choosing the right POS system provider
FBR has definitely taken a step in the right direction by setting up the FBR POS integration for retailers. However, there are multiple options available when it comes to choosing a POS system provider.
As a retailer, you should choose a service provider that is affordable and caters to all your POS needs. CISePOS offers an all-in-one consolidated solution to retailers. This is a cloud-based POS service that helps improve the intricate and complicated processes of your retail business.
The CISePOS tracks and evaluates the performance of your retail outlet to help you make informed strategy-related decisions for the future. Some of the top features of this POS system that would cater to seamless integration with the FBR’s system includes:
1. In-depth reporting and Analytics
You will be able to extract periodic reports from this POS system in order to evaluate your current performance and be able to make better decisions pertaining to your future strategy. The frequency of these reports can be daily, weekly or monthly.
2. Highly functional Dashboard
This feature of the CISePOS makes it hassle-free to look for important information. This single-screen provides a comprehensive summary of all important numbers. You do not need to go to different tabs to be able to get a quick summary of your business’s performance.
3. Multi-channel inventory management
Retailers today sell their merchandise across multiple channels. At times it can be tough to manage the inventory across different sales channels. If not managed properly, this can lead to stockouts and dissatisfied customers.
The CISePOS platform offers retailers the features of tracking and managing inventory across multiple platforms. This is an easy-to-use feature that can really help retailers.
4. Discount and offers for customers
Customers that are rewarded for their loyalty are happier customers and have a greater customer lifetime value. This required retailers to offer different types of discounts or offers to their customer base.
If a retailer does not have a proper POS system it can be a tedious task to set up discounts and offers for the customers. CISePOS is a simple and easy-to-use system that allows for smooth implementation and editing of any discounts or offers.
5. Flexible Payment System
Customers who visit a specific retail outlet prefer having multiple payment options when it comes to paying for their purchases. If you do not offer them these options they might just choose another outlet that offers this facility.
The CISePOS platform comes with a built-in system that incorporates multiple payment mediums for your customers. Given the rise in payment mediums other than cash, this will be a good asset for your retail outlet.
Conclusion
The FBR POS integration is a great step towards the digitization of the retail industry and tax collection in the country. Since this is a regulatory requirement for all tier 1 outlets the only decision that you should focus on is choosing the right POS system provider. Your criteria would consist of suitability, customization, usage utility, and affordability of the POS system for your business.