FTO adviser assures businessmen of relief

Asks them to take benefit of ombudsman services

RAWALPINDI: Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) Adviser Tariq Ahad Nawaz has assured the business community that their grievances would be resolved and they would be provided relief. The assurance came during the adviser’s visit to the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) on Thursday.



Nawaz said the FTO Institutional Reforms Act 2013 was enacted to promote good governance and provide swift relief for citizens by addressing their grievances. He asked the business community to take benefit of FTO services.

Giving a presentation on the FTO’s performance, the adviser said in 2017 the FTO received 1,022 complaints up to June 30 out of which 892 were addressed. Similarly, in 2018, up to June 30, 901 complaints were received and 1,008 complaints were disposed of including 772 new and 236 old.

“Out of 583 complaints, 457 were decided in favour of the complainants while only 126 were decided against them,” said Nawaz. “This result shows the useful role of FTO in addressing genuine grievances of the tax complainants.”

He revealed that the FTO had developed a very simple complaint filing system to make it easier for any aggrieved person to complain personally or through a courier service, an email, online or fax. “All complaints are promptly acknowledged by the FTO headquarters or its regional offices online, by email, courier service or by hand,” he said and asked the business community to come up with suggestions for further streamlining the complaint addressing system.

Speaking on the occasion, RCCI President Malik Shahid Saleem said businessmen, being key taxpayers, only wanted respect and honour. “There should be more incentives for tax return filers than the non-filers,” he said. “To improve tax revenue, reform of the taxation system is the need of the hour.”

He was of the view that an efficient and effective FTO would help provide speedy relief for complainants and promote good governance, reduce tax complaints, improve tax authority’s performance and enhance tax revenue.



Former RCCI president Sohail Altaf pointed out that millions of rupees of taxpayers were stuck with the Federal Board of Revenue in tax refunds and stressed that the FTO should play its role in the release of refunds which would help in addressing the taxpayers’ liquidity issues. “Traders are not against the collection of taxes but they are against the harassment by tax collecting authorities,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2018.

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