ISLAMABAD: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has attached the salary of the chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for non-submission of comments despite repeated reminders in a tax-related case pending adjudication before the PHC.

In this regard, the PHC additional registrar has issued instructions to the Accountant General, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad for implementation of the order passed by the PHC.

When contacted, tax lawyer Waheed Shahzad Butt told this correspondent that comments of the FBR were pending in writ petition No 1318-M of 2023 (Muzafar Khan vs Govt of Pakistan etc), wherein, letter dated: 15/11/2023, reminders dated 26/12/2023 dated 16/01/2024 and order dated 14/02/2024 have been issued against the FBR.

‘Pending comments’ PHC warns attaching salary of FBR chief

Butt further added that taxpayers of Pakistan expected the enforcement of law and constitutional rights and exercise the powers conferred on FBR by the Legislature honestly in the interest of Pakistan, but tax authorities are involved in violation of the constitutional rights of the taxpayers for claiming huge illegal rewards out of precious taxpayer’s money.

Butt regretted that the tax officials misusing the law must be removed from the services of the government of Pakistan in the process of re-organisation/ overhauling of FBR as ordered by the Apex authority Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC)

The PHC’s order states, enclosed please find herewith a certified copy of the order passed by Implementation Brach dated 14.02.2024 for attachment of salary of above-named respondent (Chairman FBR) due to non-submission of comments despite repeated reminders, therefore, the salary of the respondent be attached till the submission of comments under intimation to this office.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024