ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Ijaz Hussain, a senior official of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), on Thursday for his extraordinary act of integrity in exposing a trillion-rupee sales tax scam.

In an effort to encourage other FBR officials to purify the organization and eradicate systemic corruption, the prime minister also awarded the official Rs5 million in cash for his exceptional act of integrity.

According to a statement from the PM Office, the prime minister’s ongoing efforts to reform the FBR and tighten the noose around tax evaders are what led to the FBR official’s unusual display of integrity.

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During the meeting with the official and other senior FBR officials, Sharif declared, “There is no shortage of honest and competent officers in FBR,” adding, “Their efforts must be acknowledged.”

Sharif, who expressed satisfaction over the performance of the bureau, called for tougher penalties on tax evaders and their abettors.

He directed the FBR to avail the services of a highly qualified legal team to probe into the detected tax fraud and bring the offenders to book, saying “tax theft should not be tolerated in any way.”

In the briefing, it was told that the credentials of an 80 years old lady was used for the sales tax fraud which was pointed out by Ijaz Hussain on March 4, this year.

It was told that under the sales tax fraud, Rs370 million were also transferred initially which was being recovered as a main culprit has already been arrested.

The premier directed to identify and punish the FBR officials who facilitated this tax fraud, adding the government was striving to widen the tax base and the measures such as FBR reforms and digitisation would also help prevent such offences.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024