IRSOA for withdrawing reforms plan

Inland Revenue Service Officers Association's (IRSOA) Sindh chapter has strongly recommended the top guns in Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to propose the withdrawal of reforms plan which is prepared without taking IRS officers onboard.

After discussion at a meeting of the IRS officers held the other day, the IRSOA, Karachi, has drafted recommendations which have been forwarded to all its members, chief commissioners and commissioners across the country.

"The government should be requested for withdrawal of the said controversial reforms plan. This withdrawal should be in writing and verbal commitments from any quarter should not be accepted as such", the IRSOA suggested.

The IRSOA strongly urged the top-hierarchy of FBR that a delegation led by member (Admin) FBR may inform the facts and ground realities to Dr Ishrat Hussain, Adviser to Prime Minister for Institutional Reforms and Austerity, who is said to be the architect of the this reforms programme as any unilateral reforms plan, prepared in isolation, is bound to fail.

It also suggested that committee of the senior IRS officers should be formed to meet the country representatives of the World Bank and IMF in order to apprise them about the discontentment of IRS officers and ensure them all possible support in revisiting this controversial reforms plan.

It has also been proposed to the senior management of IRS to chalk out an alternate workable plan on urgent basis, which would be acceptable to all the cadres of the service without compromising much needed growth in revenue and share it with the PM's Institutional Reforms & Austerity team and the representatives of World Bank and IMF as well.

It said the IRS officers would only support reforms programme, which would be directed towards the larger goal of revenue growth as long as the process was transparent, participative and inclusive.