ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to considerably increase value from Rs 1 million to Rs 50 million for deciding cases pending before the single bench of Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue (ATIR).

The powers of single-member Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue would be enhanced in this regard.

Sources said that the officials of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Law and Justice Division held a meeting on the direction of the prime minister to discuss key issues related to ATIR reforms.

Both departments discussed a number of issues including power for single members of ATIR, pending cases in ATIR, constitution of New ATIR benches and formation of larger bench for nationally significant issues.

Currently, single members can decide cases with a value of up to Rs1 million. The meeting agreed to raise the single members’ case deciding limit to Rs50 million.

This adjustment would significantly increase the rate of case disposal at ATIR, facilitating quicker resolutions and reducing the backlog of pending cases, sources added.

Sources said that FBR has also shared a list of 1,489 pending cases amounting Rs1.318 trillion with the Law division.

The FBR has requested the Law division for early hearings to expedite the resolution of these cases. The officials of the Law division assured that ATIR will be asked to hear and decide the cases at the earliest.

Constitution of New ATIR Benches:

It was discussed that, in line with the Prime Minister’s directives, the number of ATIR benches will be increased.

The Secretary of the Law and Justice Division proposed that the Ministry is currently considering increasing the number of benches from 20 to 36. To achieve this, new Members will also be selected from the Inland Revenue Service (IRS).

Mandatory E-Filing for the First Six Months for Taxpayers:

A hybrid e-filing system is proposed for taxpayers during the first six months. After this period, taxpayers will be required to file appeals exclusively online. This transition is intended to ensure the smooth functioning of ATIR. However, e-filing for the department will be mandatory from the first day of the system’s implementation, ensuring that the new system is fully operational and not treated as optional.

Formation of Larger Bench for Nationally Significant Issues:

At times, significant issues of national importance require a uniform resolution. In such cases, it is essential for the Chairman of ATIR to convene a larger bench to deliver a decisive ruling. Once the decision is made, it should be circulated nationwide to ensure consistency and prevent duplication of effort, allowing everyone to benefit from the established precedent. The Secretary of the Law and Justice Division fully supported this proposal during the meeting and instructed his staff to implement it.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024