ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi appreciated the tax relief worth Rs 8.5 billion to the taxpayers within a year and advised the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) officers to equip themselves with the knowledge of law to accelerate the resolution of taxpayers’ issues.

Addressing a public awareness seminar on the role of the FTO on Monday, the president emphasized the institution to enhance its outreach and adopt digitalisation to address corruption, delays in disposal of cases and bring about transparency.

He said that said pilferage of funds and record tampering could be stopped through the use of block chain technology.

During the ceremony, the FTO office launched three new initiatives i.e. new portal (electronic module) for taxpayers, four digit tracking number for the complaints and mobile application for the citizens to file complaints.

Lauding the role of the FTO for providing Rs8.5 billion relief to the taxpayers last year, the president stressed the need for better connection between the people and the government institutions.

He viewed that cordial working relation between the FTO and tax institutions would also pave way for a conducive environment for the taxpayers.

The president said the early adoption of technology was inevitable as in some cases, the delays are intentionally made to mint money and exemplified the impediments in the procedures of customs clearance of products exported by the business community.

Calling for the reduction of human factors, the president cited the introduction of information technology in the Auditor General of Pakistan’s affairs asking the auditors to frame the charge sheet within a day to minimise the chance of corruption.