FBR reform process: STOAP urges government to take it on board

Sales tax Officers Association of Pakistan (STOAP) Monday urged the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Hafeez Shaikh to bring it into the loop in the ongoing restructuring plan of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to transform it into Pakistan Revenue Authority (PRA).

The STOAP welcomed the statement of Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Hafeez Shaikh regarding taking into confidence all stakeholders on the proposal of establishing Pakistan Revenue Authority (PRA) under ongoing restructuring of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

According to a statement of the STOAP issued here on Monday, the sales tax officers including sales tax cost accountants, sales tax deputy commissioners, Inland Revenue Audit Officers (IRAOs), senior auditors Inland Revenue (SAIRs), inspectors, deputy superintendents, and superintendents, etc, are major stakeholders of the ongoing reforms process. Under the ongoing reforms and restructuring process on functional lines, these officers play the key role in the tax machinery and are performing actual revenue collection functions in the field formations.

They have a very critical role in meeting the monthly assigned revenue collection targets. Therefore, any move to deviate their functions or downsizing in the name of reforms is unacceptable after conversion of the FBR into the PRA.

In order to discuss the ongoing restructuring/reform process in FBR, an urgent meeting of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of STOAP was held on Sunday last. The STOAP reiterated its stance that it welcomes all such reform initiatives of the government which provide better opportunities to the professional officers of FBR to perform their functions for the enhancement of revenue collection. The association referred to the statement of the Hafeez Sheikh that proposals would be made public for input and consultation.

It was also resolved that sales tax officers being the professionals and product of reform in existing hierarchy of FBR having top notch qualifications in the fields of accounting, finance, audit, IT, commerce, economics and law i.e. CA, ACCA, ACMA, CIA, MBA (Finance), MCom, and LLM, etc, coupled with having more than 23-year hands on experience of performing core functions can play a vital role in the reformed FBR at any level. Hundreds of sales tax officers & officials including sales tax cost accountants, sales tax deputy commissioners, IRAOs, SAIRs, inspectors, deputy superintendents, superintendents, etc, are major stakeholders of the ongoing reforms process.

The STOAP also welcomed Chairman FBR's recent tweet wherein he assured that reforms in FBR will be undertaken in consultation with all the stakeholders. As STOAP, being the representative body of sales tax officers, is a major stakeholder, hence it was demanded that chairman FBR should take STOAP in to confidence by extending an opportunity to give its input on reform/restructuring process of FBR. It was decided that a delegation of STOAP will soon meet the chairman FBR with the request to include their input/demands in the ongoing reforms.

Earlier, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Shabbar Zaidi had constituted a high-powered committee to address the longstanding service-related issues of different cadres of sales tax officers. The constitution of the high-powered committee by the FBR would be instrumental in addressing issues of over 1,000 sales tax officials in the country.