Officials’ transfer to hurt FBR performance
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), which is already struggling to identify loopholes in the tax machinery, has received another setback in the shape of transfer of top officials. On Jan 26, 16 top officials of the tax machinery were shuffled around.The tax officials have to raise more than Rs944 billion in the next six months. They had to collect Rs1,604 billion in the current fiscal year and have collected Rs660 bil lion in its first half.
An official expressed the doubt whether the new team would be able to settle down in time and meet the revenue target.
Some officials said friction between the District Management Group (DMG) and officers with a tax background might also hamper the working of the FBR.
The appointment of DMG officers as heads of specialised departments might be an obstacle in reforms being carried out, they said.
DMG officer Salman Siddiq was appointed the FBR chairman last month. His predecessor Sohail Ahmad also belongs to the DMG and his appointment had faced resistance.
According to an official, the new chairman has not only transferred members of the FBR but also reshuffled 10 senior tax officers in important collectorates and large taxpayers’ units across the country. The collectors of preventive, appraisement, Port Qasim and Lahore and Peshawar model customs sections have been transferred in the middle of the fiscal year.
Similarly, there is tension between officials with a customs background and those who deal with income tax over the implementation of a World Bank-backed tax reforms project. “Both groups are fighting over posts at the FBR and in the field,” an official said.
With these differences among them, it is unlikely that tax officials will be able to plug loopholes and unearth evasion.
A senior tax official said there were no concrete proposals with the department to be discussed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to yield additional revenue.
IMF’s Director for Middle East and Central Asia Masood Ahmed and Assistant Director Adnan Mazarei are due here on Sunday.
According to an official, they will meet senior officers of the finance ministry and political leaders, especially those of the Pakistan’s Muslim League-N, to get feedback on economic reforms, including those pertaining to the power sector and expansion of the tax base.
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Officials’ transfer to hurt FBR performance