Yesterday I went to ETO Office F-8 Islamabad to pay the token Tax for my Honda City 2011. It was in my mind that it is not an easy task but it would be that miserable and horrifying . . . I was not expecting that. The whole process is too lengthy and terrifying.
First I went to their information desk and the guy told me that you have to submit the fee in National bank first. I asked him to give me challan forms but he told me to buy them from Photostat shop. I went to the Photostat shop and no one was willing to give the challan form, they said that they have kept it for themselves, we can fill it for you but we will take 50 Rs for that. It felt really awkward that being educated, an almost illiterate person is filling up form for you. Anyways the weather was too hot, so I asked him to fill it up.
The next step is to get those challans signed from excise and taxation officer. Went to their window again and get it signed and stamped.
Then you have to go to Photostat shop and make its copies for the bank. Finally after 1 hour I reached the National Bank F-8 markaz and I was shocked to see the queues there. A person from Excise office told me that these challans can be paid at any branch of National Bank or State Bank. So I went to National Bank, F-10 Markaz. The official at the counter told me that we are not taking these ETO Challans and you have to submit them in National Bank, F-8. I told him that people at ETO office told me that it can be submitted in any branch of National Bank, he said that as the ETO office has stamped this challan, now it will only be submitted in F-8.
Came back to National Bank, F-8 and joined the queue. After about 2 hours my turn came. Gave him the challans, he only kept the Challan for Income Tax and gave me back the Challan for Token tax. He said that this is FBR Counter and I am only going to check your income tax status. For payment please join the queue at the back side of bank. When I went there, I almost fainted to see the line. It was almost half Km long. I joined the line but it hardly moved ahead. The agents were taking money from people and they were getting their challans stamped without getting in queue. I guess they give commission to bank for doing so.
After about 3 hours in line, the bank was closed due to lunch break. I was so exhausted and couldn?t stand anymore. I went to the Bank?s Manager and told him what is happening outside. He asked me to sit in his office, offered me cold water and got my challans submitted. That was a relief.
I went back to ETO to submit the challan?s copies. The lines were 5 times longer than they were in the morning. After standing in the queue for about one hour, I finally got my registration book stamped. But then I had to take the sticker which they have introduced this year. So I was standing in queue once again. This time my turn came after 30 min and I got the sticker.
The whole process took 7 hours. I went to ETO at 9 am and the punishment finished at 4 pm.
Each day the life in Pakistan is becoming miserable. In spite of facilitating the nation, they are punishing the ones who come to pay them tax. I am very much disappointed this time. And after all this hardship/punishment one can hardly understand what they have written on the registration book, the handwriting is pathetic. ETO Islamabad should have some computerized method in which the receipts are printed, not hand written and a method in which people don?t have to stand in 6,7 queues to pay the tax.
