Karachi: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is deliberating on relaxing the restrictions placed on its officials during their dealings with tax defaulters, according to news sources. As per the publication, the said restrictions pertain to the officials’ ability to conduct raids and freeze bank accounts of accused individuals without first needing permission from the FBR chairman or the Member Inland Revenue (IR) Operations.
According to the information available, the tax authority made the decision to allow the corporate regional tax offices (RTOs) and Commissioners Inland Revenue of Large Taxpayers Units (LTUs) to take action against tax defaulters without first getting approvals from the FBR or IR. However, the RTOs are still required to obtain prior approval from the IR chief commissioner before proceeding with each case.
Previously,
these restrictions were imposed by Chairman FBR Syed Shabbar Zaidi when he
assumed charge in May 2019. However, the tax authority is considering relaxing
these restrictions in order to recover the defaulted amount.
Reportedly,
these recent developments are a result of the FBR’s efforts to recover PKR
2.838 trillion in the last five months of the fiscal year (FY 2019-20) so that it
can meet the annual tax collection target of PKR 5.238 trillion.
Hazafa reveres the art of writing and has been turned into a property enthusiast by profession. Her daily survival kit includes; tea, coffee, keyboard and paperbacks.
