Plan being prepared to utilise surplus CBR staff

A new workforce rationalisation plan is being prepared to productively utilise surplus staff at the culmination of CBR reforms programme. Sources told Business Recorder on Friday.
The board has directed the member, human resource management (HRM) and member, tax policy and reforms (TPR) to examine the roadmap of reforms covering next five to ten years for developing a realistic workforce rationalisation plan for the entire tax machinery.
The board has finalised the workforce requirement plan for the regional tax offices (RTOs). It has been decided RTOs at Hyderabad, Sukkur, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Abbottabad and Quetta would become operational under the first phase.
Sources said it is premature to give specific number of CBR employees, who would become surplus under the restructuring programme. Tax officials and staff are required at the RTOs, model customs collectorates and various directorate generals, including director-general of inspection and internal audit and director-general, training etc.
Similarly, the government had withdrawn anti-smuggling powers of all law-enforcement agencies and presently the customs is the sole agency carrying out anti-smuggling operations. Customs and sales tax surplus staff would be re-deployed at anti-smuggling field formations, sources said.
Under the Customs Administrative Reforms (CARE) project, 24 hours clearance of goods is taking place. More staff would be required for handling the import/export under the CARE project, officials added.
Instead of calculating numbers of expected surplus staff, the board is working on a different strategy to accommodate maximum persons, keeping in view the re-engineering requirements at the reformed units. Therefore, the exact figure would be available after completion of the reform plan, sources added.
The board has already turned down the World Bank's proposal to forcefully retire CBR staff, who have completed 25 years of service, and to introduce a voluntary severance scheme for 11,000 surplus employees. The proposal was rejected because the board is not able to offer lucrative compensation package to its staff.
The World Bank had recommended sufficient financial incentives for tax officers on early retirement and those availing of the voluntary severance scheme. But the idea was not feasible because of the sensitivity and political implications of compulsory retirement.