The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has carried out transfers and postings, and promotions to the next grade of over 89 officials of Income Tax, Customs and Excise groups since July 1, 2009 under Own Pay and Scale (OPS) structure. This is for the first time in the history of the FBR that a large number of tax officials have been promoted to the next grade by exercising the OPS device, which implies an upgrade at the old pay scale.
However the advantage to the one upgraded is that he/she can exercise powers of the senior position and, at a later stage, refuse to go to his/her original designation. An analysis of FBR Administration notifications issued since July 1, 2009 showed that 75 officials of the Income Tax Group have been promoted under OPS. On the other hand, 14 officials of Customs and Excise Group have been given new assignments in the next grade applying the OPS device.
Further break-up revealed that 38 officials of Income Tax Group (Grade-19) have been promoted to the next grade under OPS. In Grade-18, 37 officials of Income Tax Group have been promoted to the next grade. Within the Customs and Excise Group, reshuffle of 13 officials was made on OPS basis. In Grade-18, three officials were promoted to the next grade.
A Grade-20 official has been assigned responsibilities as FBR Member. The data did not include those officials (Grade-20) working as DGs LTUs/RTOs against Grade-21 positions. Under OPS, dozens of FBR employees were reshuffled from one department to another across the country. The transfers and postings were done at such a pace during the last two months that reshuffling has become part of the regular day to day FBR activities.
There are several instances where one official appointed on a specific position has been suddenly transferred to another position after a few days. There are also few cases where Grade-20 officials have been given assignments as Director Generals of Large Taxpayer Unit and Regional Tax Offices against Grade-21 positions. On the same pattern, junior officials have been appointed in senior positions at the FBR under OPS.
The review of lists of Grade-21 officials in Income Tax Group revealed that many top officials have been given assignments at Members Income Tax Tribunals instead of benefiting from their experience in ongoing reforms in the tax administration.
These senior most officials could be appointed as FBR Members or Director Generals of Large Taxpayer Units (LTUs), but their appointment as Member Tribunals has not benefited the FBR. Some of the Grade-21 officials of the Income Tax Group are working in different positions at the FBR, tribunals or other ministries or departments.
Presently, Abdur Rauf is working Member Income Tax Tribunal Lahore, Khawaja Shaukat Ali Director General Regional Tax Office (RTO), Lahore, Israr Rauf Member Direct Taxes Policy, Madam Shahnaz Rafiq, Member Income Tax Tribunal Lahore, Agha Sarwar Raza Qazalbash Additional Secretary Ministry of Religious Affairs, Shahid Azam Khan DG WHT, Chaudhary Nazir Ahmed, Member Income Tax Appellate Tribunal Islamabad, Anis-ul Hasan Mosvi Additional Secretary Incharge Ministry of Sports, Chaudhry Nazir Ahmed Member Tribunal Islamabad, Afzal Naubahar Kiani Member FBR (Grade-21) Income Tax Group; Madam Raana Mirza Director General Internal Audit Income Tax Islamabad, Sardar Aminullah, Economic Minister China, Muhammad Saeed Khan Income Tax Tribunal Karachi, Khalid Aziz Banth FBR Member Operations North, Aziz Ahmed Balour Member FBR, Noor Muhammad Khan, Member Tribunal Karachi, Muhammad Iftikhar Khan Member Tribunal Lahore, Manzoor Hussain Quershi, Member Tribunal Karachi, Ahsan-ul-Haq Member Facilitation and Taxpayer Education (FATE), Naseer Ahmed Warriach Director General Directorate of Training (DOT), Lahore, Muhammad Istetaat Ali Accountant Member Income Tax Appellate Tribunal Islamabad, Khawar Khurshid Butt Additional Secretary Revenue Division, Masood Ali Chemma Member Income Tax Appellate Tribunal Lahore, Bilal Khan National Tariff Commission Islamabad, Muhammad Fayyaz Khan Member Internal Audit FBR and Qurban Ali Director General Regional Tax Office Faisalabad.
On the other hand, the performance of the FBR could be judged from the fact that over 54 percent of the registered corporate sector, 76 percent individuals and 83 percent of the Association of Persons (AOPs) are non-filers of income tax returns for the Tax Year 2008, reflecting non-compliance by majority of the registered persons.
In case of corporate sector, only 19,197 companies filed returns for Tax Year 2008 against 42,148 National Tax Numbers (NTNs) issued to the corporate sector, reflecting 54 percent non-filers. Against 2,565,874 individuals having NTN, 608,286 filed returns, reflecting 76 percent non-filers. A total of 146,594 AOPs have obtained NTNs, but only 24,483 filed their returns, disclosing non-compliance of 83 percent.
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