ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has appointed a senior official to liaise/coordinate with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) regarding matters pertaining to the NAB.
According to an office order of the FBR issued here on Wednesday, in supersession of the FBR’s earlier orders on the subject (Nomination of Focal Person for NAB), Chief (IMC), FBR (HQ), Islamabad is nominated ex-officio focal person/liaison officer for all the wings of the FBR to liaise/coordinate with the NAB, regarding matters pertaining to the NAB until further orders.
The official contact number of Chief (IMC), FBR (HQ) Islamabad is 051-9209014. This issues with the approval of revenue secretary/chairman FBR, the FBR notification added.
The federal government has withdrawn powers and jurisdiction of the NAB to investigate persons/ transactions causing revenue loss on account of taxation matters. The NAB has been restrained from taking action against the public office holders, giving any advice, report or opinion during the course of official duty.
Through the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Ordinance 2021, the powers of the NAB to investigate the taxation matters has been taken away, as the same would be investigated by the competent departments, i.e., the FBR and the provincial revenue boards/ authorities, provincial excise and taxation departments, and the local authorities, etc.
The provisions of the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 shall not be applicable to the following persons or transactions: (i) All matters pertaining to federal, provincial or local taxation, other levies or imports.
ii) Decisions of federal or provincial cabinet, their committees or sub-committees, the ECC of the Cabinet, the Council of Common Interests (CCI), the National Economic Council (NEC), the National Finance Commission (NFC), the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), or decisions of the boards of any body, body corporate, corporations, authority or financial institutions established by or under the constitution or law and entrusted with policy making and collective decision making.
(iii) Any person or entity who, or transaction in relation thereto, which are not directly or indirectly connected with the holder of a public office.
(iv) Procedural lapses in any public or governmental work, project or scheme, unless it is shown that a holder of public office or any other person has been conferred or has received any monetary or other material benefit from that particular public or governmental work, whether directly or indirectly on account of such procedural lapses, which the said recipient was otherwise not entitled to receive.
(v) An advice, report or opinion rendered or given by a public office holder or any other person in the course of his duty, unless there is sufficient evidence to show that the holder of public office or any other person received or gained any monetary or other material benefit, from that advice, report or opinion, it added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021