Federal Tax Ombudsman Justice Salim Akhtar (Retd) has suggested that discretionary powers of tax collectors, appraisers, and assessment officials must be reduced to provide a relief to the taxpayers and government should organise refresher and training courses for the officers and officials from top to bottom to change their authoritative mindset and to make them polite, patience and sympathetic.
He was addressing the executive committee of Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) chaired by its President Asrar Ahmed Awan on Tuesday. He said that Institution of Ombudsman has helped in changing the general behaviour of the tax collecting officers which a great achievement because taxpayers heaved a sigh of relief.
FTO said that ex parte decisions or unheard judgments are always unjust and challengeable and High courts, Supreme Court of Pakistan set aside such a decisions taken by the tax collecting authorities.
He said that any judgment of decision taken without hearing the taxpayers or respondents is repugnant to the norms of justice.
He said that officers should accept their mistakes, errors open-heartedly because it shows their greatness.
To a question, he said that FTO is an institution which redress the grievances of the taxpayers, it is not a legislation authority.
Traders, Industrialists and other taxpayers should develop public opinion and pressurise their parliamentarians to frame new laws.
Justice Salim Akhtar (Retd) said that it is common complaint of revenge action by tax collectors and officers because it is our mindset which would take time to change it.
He said that powers of Ombudsman are very limited and it can investigate the cases to an extent and it was functioning to check the male-administration, injustice, corruption in the Revenue department. He said that it is not possible to establish a regional office of FTO in Multan because volume of complaints and cases is not so high.
He told that an advisory committee was organised comprising the tax-bar members, retired well reputed officers of CBR, representatives of Chambers of Commerce and Industry to study the problems of taxpayers, tax-collectors, code of conduct for tax collectors and way to expand the tax-net. Its recommendations would be sent to the President of Pakistan.
The Ombudsman admitted that officers of CBR were not implementing his judgments promptly particularly in refund cases, however they would take time in changing their habits and authoritative mindset.
He disclosed that government had established a department of moral reconstruction in early fifties to change the mindset of the officers who had served for the British rulers but this department could not achieve its objective. Consequently, it was disbanded.
Earlier, Asrar Ahmed Khan, President of MCCI presented a welcome address and highlighted the problems faced by the taxpayers, delay in refunds, wrong assessment etc.