KARACHI: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has suspended its additional commissioner (AC) posted in the Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU), Islamabad for asking ‘hefty percentage’ to process tax refunds.

After examining the evidences provided by the taxpayer, the member IR operations Dr Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmed has discussed the case with chairman FBR, who suspended the additional commissioner posted in the LTU, Islamabad and ordered an inquiry against him, sources, privy to the matter, told Business Recorder here.

Furthermore, sources said that the inquiry officer had also confirmed all allegations levelled against the said additional commissioner and now the board was pondering to take stern action against him in order to set an example of ‘zero tolerance’ against the malpractices.

Since the FBR has expedited the process of tax refunds on the directives of NA standing committee on finance, revenue and economic affairs last July, the syndicate of ill-reputed tax officials across the country has been actively asking ‘hefty percentage’ to process tax refunds, sources said.

They said that the board was receiving numerous complaints on daily basis from the taxpayers where tax officials were reportedly asking 25 to 40 percent of refund amount as bribe to process their tax refund claims however, the taxpayers, when asked, remained unable to produce evidences, providing impunity to these tax officials for their wrongdoings.

They said that the FBR with the action taken against its additional commissioner set an example of ‘zero tolerance’ against the malpractices and urged the taxpayers to produce evidences against tax officials instead of ‘verbal complaints’ in order to facilitate the board to take stern action against its officials involved in such heinous activities.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021