PM warns against resistance to FBR reforms

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday warned tax officers that resistance to the ongoing reforms in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) would not be tolerated, directing the authorities to implement proposed measures to minimise the country’s tax gap. The prime minister’s warning came during a weekly briefing on tax reforms, following a call for a pen-down strike by the Inland Revenue Officers Association. The strike call was later withdrawn after intervention by senior FBR officials. FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial briefed the prime minister on the pilot project for faceless assessment and audit. A source privy to the meeting told Dawn that the prime minister expressed displeasure over the strike announcement.

“We will not tolerate any resistance against the ongoing reforms in the FBR,” PM Shehbaz was quoted as saying, adding that officers unwilling to work would be asked to leave. The prime minister reminded tax officers that their salaries had been increased fourfold and that they had been provided with vehicles and accommodation. “We have extended every facility to these officers,” he said, adding that it was now their responsibility to deliver results and justify the incentives granted to them. The FBR has established the National Faceless Centre (NFC) in Islamabad, where dedicated wings will handle audits and assessments through a faceless system aimed at reducing official discretion and direct contact between tax officials and taxpayers. Initially staffed by 27 officers, the centre has been tasked with auditing and assessing third-party data relating to 300,000 to 400,000 individuals under a pilot project that became effective on October 1. The data will be referred to the NFC in phases after the completion of initial compliance checks.…