ISLAMABAD: Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) Asif Mahmood Jah has said that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been forced to implement 94 percent of the FTO’s orders during 2023 due to strict standing operating procedure (SOP) being followed by the FTO office.

On the FTO’s performance, Dr Asif Jah stated here on Sunday that the timely implementation of the recommendations is fundamental to the effectiveness of the institution of FTO. Once the FTO issues recommendations, the Revenue Division is bound to inform him about action taken on the same or the reasons for not complying with the recommendations.

In order to streamline the procedure for implementation, an SOP has been issued by the FTO Office which is strictly followed by all offices of FTO. The implementation of recommendations has significantly improved due to relentless efforts by Advisors and Staff. During the year 2023, 94% cases have been duly implemented as against 73% during the year 2022, FTO added.

The number of complaints registered against maladministration of FBR has soared up from 2816 in 2021, 5752 in 2022 to 8963 in 2023 with disposal of 2867, 6106 and 8128 complaints in the said period respectively, Dr Asif Jah added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024