FBR starts top management restructuring

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has started restructuring of top management for reducing number of Members reporting to the Chairman under Tax Administration Reform Project (TARP). Sources told Business Recorder on Tuesday that the designations of some Members would be converted into director-general, under the new organisational structure of the FBR.
The rationale is to reduce the number of FBR Members directly reporting to the Chairman. The posts of Members hired from the private sector, including Member Information Management System (IMS) and Member Human Resource Management (HRM), are being converted into directorates-general. The process of top management restructuring has been started which would be completed in due course of time. These DGs would be give permission to attend the board-in-council meetings.
Under top management structure organogram, some of the functional heads would report to the proposed Member, Management Services; Member, Revenue Services, and Member, Tax Policy and Reforms, particularly during the reform period.
Sources said that for the first time the FBR has prepared an updated financial report on accounts, expenditures and spending under the TARP up to June 30, 2008. If this trend continues in future, a comprehensive financial compendium would be available to analyse financing spending under reforms.
They said that the reform process has been expedited during the last six months, particularly infrastructure development of the reformed units. Under the area of technical assistance, the FBR-hired services of reputed international/national consultants were engaged in different areas. The consultants related to audit consultants (international/local); Human Resource consultants (international/local); local communication consultant; impact evaluation consultant; legal consultant; consultant for evaluation of proposals for Integrated Tax Management System (ITMS); consultant for infrastructure development (preparation of design layout, procurement support/supervision of works for establishment of Model Offices and Transit Accommodation; consultants for tax analysis, revenue forecasting and Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR); network consultant and consultant on 'stakeholders perception survey' to get the feedback on tax reforms and FBR integrity.
At the same time, selection of consultancy services in the following areas are also under process. The consultants related to areas of training and development; establishment of National Customs and Logistic Performance indicator; evaluation/risk assessment; employees survey; voluntary severance scheme; enforcement/collection; data warehouse; sectoral analysis; analysis of key performance indicators; telecommunication sectoral study; assessment development centre and consultants for other activities under the reforms.
Sources said that the FBR has no intention to purchase Integrated Tax Management System (1TMS) from some foreign firm. However, the process of bidding has been put on backburner for six months and, instead, FBR with the assistance of its IT arm company, the Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) has embarked on in-house incremental development of the ITMS with provision for out-sourcing wherever required.
The FBR has also supplied computers and other allied equipment to the Large Taxpayers Units (LTUs), Medium Taxpayers Units (MTUs) and Regional Tax Offices (RTOs). Out of 13 RTOs, civil/electrical works for 10 RTOs at Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Abbottabad, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Lahore, Karachi and Multan have been completed. For RTO Quetta, contract agreement has been signed, whereas award of contract for RTO Sukkur is under process by the board.