ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman has been declared as the competent authority to sanction cash rewards to the customs officers (BS-1 to BS-21) in FBR headquarters for rendering meritorious services including exceeding revenue collection targets for 2022-23.

Under the amended reward rules, meritorious services included showing extraordinary devotion to duty, exceeding revenue collection targets, anti-smuggling activities, detection of evasion of duties and taxes and recovery of arrears. Earlier, the FBR Member Customs was the competent authority to sanction cash rewards to the customs officers (BS-1 to BS-21) in FBR headquarters for rendering meritorious services.

The authority to sanction rewards for customs officers from Grade 1-21 in the FBR House has been changed from FBR Member Customs to FBR chairman.

The FBR has issued an SRO2326(I)/2022 to amend the Customs Reward Rules, 2012 on Thursday.

According to the reward rules, the chairman FBR on the recommendation of Member (Customs Operations), FBR would sanction rewards to the customs officers (BS-1 to BS-21) working in the FBR Headquarters.

The BS-21 officials in field formations would be entitled to cash rewards after approval from the Member (Customs Operations), FBR and Member (Legal and Accounting — Customs), FBR with respect to the Director General of Law and Prosecution (Customs).

The customs officials of BS-17 to BS-20 would also be entitled to rewards in field formations for rendering meritorious services. The sanctioning authorities will be Member (Customs Operations), FBR on the recommendation of respective Chief Collector or Director General except Director General of Law and Prosecution, as the case may be.

The sanctioning authorities will be Member (Legal & Accounting — Customs), FBR with respect to Collectors (Appeals 84 Adjudication) and Directors of Directorate General of Law and Prosecution on the recommendation of Director General, as the case may be.

In order to obtain cash rewards by BS-1 to BS-16 in field formations for rendering meritorious services, sanctioning authorities will be Chief Collector or Director General, on the recommendation of respective Collector or Director, as the case may be; and ii. Member (Legal and Accounting - Customs), FBR, on the recommendation of respective Collector (Appeals) or Collector (Adjudication), as the case may be, the FBR’s notification added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023