ISLAMABAD - Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance and Economic Affairs Shaukat Tarin said on Thursday that the progress of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) was not impressive in the current financial year as the tax to GDP ratio stood at 9 per cent against the target of 10 per cent. He said this while briefing media about the Economic Survey, 2008-9. He said that the progress of Federal Board of Revenue was not impressive in the current year as the tax to GDP ratio deteriorate to around 9 per cent against the target of 10 per cent. According to Economic Survey 2008-09, the overall FBR performance was less than satisfactory and actually witnessed deceleration in real sense of the term. The tax revenue collected by the FBR amounted to Rs 898.6 billion during the first ten months (July-April) of the current fiscal year, which is 17.7pc higher than the net collection of Rs 763.6 billion in the corresponding period of the last year. The collection by no mean impressive, Tarin maintained. Tarin was of the view that to increase tax to the GDP ratio, there was a need for bringing those sectors, which are not paying any tax, under the tax net. He said that due to falling prices of food and fuel in the international markets, the revenue was not achieved but the government managed to control the deficit. The government decided in the economic stabilisation programme to adhere to the fiscal deficit target and during the first nine months of the current fiscal year, the deficit hovered around 3.1 per cent of the projected GDP for 2008-09, which is consistent with annual fiscal deficit target of 4.3 per cent. According to the survey, the indirect tax to GDP ratio stood at around 5 per cent while direct tax to GDP ratio stood at 4 per cent during 2008-09. The net direct tax collection was at Rs 332.5b against the target of Rs 496 billion, which implies a growth of 16.9pc during (July-April) of the current fiscal year over the same period of last year. Indirect taxes grew by 18.2 per cent during first ten months of 2008-09 and accounted for 62 per cent of the stake in overall tax revenue. The sales tax collections grew by 22.2 per cent and stood at Rs 358.9 billion as against Rs 293.6 billion against the compared period of the last year. The net customs duty collection inched up from Rs 114.9 billion in 2007-08 to Rs 117.2 billion in 2008-09, thereby showing modest growth of 2.1 per cent. The collection of federal excise stood at Rs 90 billion during July-April 2008-09 as against Rs 70.6 billion in the corresponding period of the last year, thereby showing an increase of 27.5 per cent.