The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is likely to impose minor penalty on four suspended officials of customs and excise group, involved in issuance of illegal refunds of excise duty to the payphone companies.
Sources told Business Recorder on Wednesday that the inquiry committee submitted its findings to the FBR relating to Zeba Hai Azhar, Additional Collector, Large Taxpayer Unit (LTU), Lahore; Muhammad Saeed Watto, Deputy Collector (under suspension) Sales Tax and Federal Excise; Sameera Sheikh, Deputy Collector, Collectorate of Customs, Lahore; and Asim Majid Khan, Additional Collector (under suspension), LTU, Lahore.
The remaining officials, ie Dr Naeem Aijaz Quershi, Additional Collector (under suspension), Collectorate of Sales Tax and Federal Excise; Nadir Khan Hoti, Collector (under suspension), Collectorate of Sales Tax and Federal Excise, Peshawar; and Nazim Saleem, Collector, Lahore (under suspension), have obtained stay orders from different courts against the inquiry proceedings.
Sources said that the FBR would issue the notifications in view of the recommendations made by the inquiry committee. The board may give benefit of doubt to the said four suspended officials. Sources claimed that not a single suspended official would be liable to major penalty like dismissal from services etc under the Removal From Service (special powers) Ordinance, 2000.
Through the statement of allegations, the inquiry committee warned that the officials proved guilty of "inefficiency" and "misconduct" were liable to disciplinary action, which might involve imposition of one or more of the penalties, including major penalty of dismissal from service.
However, the four officials, against whom the inquiry had been completed, would face minor penalties as punishment for wrong interpretation of tax laws. It seemed that the inquiry committee as well as the FBR has taken lenient attitude towards the four officials. The minor penalty may include stoppage of increment etc. Once the FBR issues notifications, the situation would become clearer, the officials added.