ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue’s transfer orders (during April 2024) of over a dozen senior officers of the Inland Revenue Service and Pakistan Customs Service (BS-21/22) to the admin pool were not given on any directive of the prime minister.
It was claimed at the time that the said senior officials were sent to the admin pool following reports from secret agencies and as part of the prime minister’s action against corrupt tax officials.
In the past, it was also accused that the FBR had moved several tax officials to a common pool based on their internal criteria such as integrity, performance, and reputation.
FBR lays down procedure of placing tax officers in ‘admin pool’
On the other hand, the FBR’s documents submitted before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and the FBR’s notification (procedure for placement of tax officers in Admin Pool), negate the government’s claim made at the time regarding the transfers.
However, the FBR recently informed IHC that there was no such exercise conducted and they will post all the officers in Admin Pool within 15 days.
The FBR documents revealed that “the FBR has not done any categorisation of officers. Neither the prime minister given any directions nor any summary was moved from FBR in this regard”.
The FBR had informed the IHC that the placement of tax officials in the admin pool is not a punitive measure and no adverse inference is to be drawn on the said basis.
The FBR had informed IHC that placing of officers in the admin pool would not affect their prospects of next grade promotion.
Officers serving in the FBR can be transferred and posted to various posts within the FBR and its owned entities from time to time in exercise of FBR’s statutory powers under sections 4 and 5 of the Federal Board of Revenue Act, 2007 (“FBR Act, 2007”), as delegated under Section 8 thereof read with the Federal Board of Revenue Rules, 2007 (“FBR Rules, 2007”).
According to Section 5(2) of the FBR Act 2007, “notwithstanding the appointment of any official against any post, the official shall not have any vested right to retain the said post”, the FBR report said.
By placing the name of the petitioner in the admin pool in any way would not affect her prospects of promotion, the FBR report added.
Recently, FBR has laid down procedure for placement of tax officers in Admin Pool.
The FBR has decided that tax officials currently placed on the “Admin Pool” for a period beyond 90 days shall be posted within the next 15 days.
According to the FBR’s procedure, in pursuance of the decision of the Board in its meeting, the following decisions are hereby notified with immediate effect: An officer of FBR may be posted in the Admin Pool only in the following circumstances:
A) FBR is yet to determine the appropriate posting for the officer.
b) The officer has returned from deputation.
d) The officer has returned from medical leave, which had warranted relinquishment of charge.
c) The officer has returned from long leave.
e) The officer has returned from a training that had warranted his/ her relinquishment of charge.
(f) There is a complaint against the officer, and a fact-finding inquiry has been initiated, which also warrants the removal of the officer from his present posting. Where in case of inquiry, E&D rules are in progress, necessitating removal of the officer.
g) Any other exigencies which may warrant placement of an officer on Admin Pool for a while.
The placement of an officer in the Admin Pool shall be for the shortest possible time and shall not exceed 45 days.
In case the placement of an officer on Admin Pool exceeds 45 days, a committee comprising Member (Admin/ HR) and the respective Member (Operations) of Inland Revenue and Customs shall review the officer’s placement in Admin Pool and may make appropriate recommendations in writing to the Chairman FBR for approval, including further posting or pending such posting, extension in the officer’s placement for up to another maximum 45 days along with reasons to be recorded in writing.
On or before the expiry of such an extended period of placement, the officer must be posted to his/ her next posting.
Any extension in the duration of placement on the Admin Pool beyond 90 days may only be made with the officer’s consent or where disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against the officer under the Civil Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2020.
Where there is an E&D proceeding under way against an officer, the condition mentioned in paras 3 and 5 shall not apply.
The officer placed on the Admin Pool shall continue to draw salary and allowances; etc, against a supernumerary post in his/ her previous office. The officers currently placed on the Admin Pool for a period beyond 90 days shall be posted within 15 days of the issuance of this notification, the FBR added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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