The new proforma devised by the Establishment Division for declaration of income and assets by the government officials has created panic among the civil bureaucracy and they have strongly resented it, terming it "uncalled for and a new tactic of the government to harass public servants".
The Establishment Division has circulated a new proforma among the government officials at the end of the financial year 2004-05, asking for details of their utility bills and household expenses, etc, in addition to their income and assets, including moveable/immovable property.
According to earlier practice, they were only asked for providing details relating to income and assets, etc, at the close of the calendar year. But the earlier declaration of assets did not contain other details, such as utility bills, travelling expenses and expenses incurred on the education of children and private foreign travelling, etc.
It is for the first time that the government has asked for such extensive details and sent a new proforma at the end of the financial year instead of calendar year, a CBR official told Business Recorder, adding that this move has caused harassment among the government officials and put them under stress.
"This also tantamount to pushing the public servants to wall," he said.
He also said in the new Declaration of Income and Assets Proforma on financial year basis, issued vide Establishment Division's letter dated 22-12-2004, Column No 5 regarding utility bills (electricity, telephone and gas bills, etc, and household expenses) and Column No 7 regarding children's education have been introduced.
Asking for information of utility bills from the government servants and expenditure on children's education, particularly education within Pakistan, is unnecessary because day-by-day the rates of utility bills keep on increasing, which are beyond the control of consumers, another high official at the regional CBR office said, while lashing out at the government.
Unfortunately, no public sector schools provide quality education these days and the people have left with no option, but to send their children in private schools, he added.
The utility bills and children's education are basic necessities and basic human rights of all the citizens.
That is why under new tax reforms the government does not force even the business community to give details of these expenses in the income tax returns despite the fact that the business community has the opportunity to conceal its true income, whereas the government servants cannot conceal their real income, another official said.
Interestingly, he said that the business community is allowed deductions against its "gross sales/receipts" and they offer their "net income" for tax purposes, which in almost 100 percent cases is engineered and maneuvered, whereas the salaried people pay tax on their "gross salary" without the benefit of any deductions incurred to earn their salary and in 100 percent cases they are bound to declare their real income.
Now, if the utility bills expenses and children's education (within Pakistan) are substantial part of their salary it is the government, which is responsible to corner its own employees, on the one hand by not paying them well, and not controlling the rates of utility bills, on the other.
He proposed that columns introduced in the revised income and assets proforma seeking details of utility bills and children's education should be omitted, as the government servants were already working under too much pressure and majority of them have to work as part timers to make their both ends meet.
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