FBR reduces tax collection target for first quarter

The move is apparently aimed at showing FBR in positive light.

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has reduced its tax collection target for the first quarter of the current fiscal year by Rs7.6 billion, The Express Tribune learned on Wednesday.

According to a senior FBR official, FBR Director General (Strategic Planning and Statistics) Amna Saeed Khalifa presented the revised tax collection target in the last chief commissioners’ conference.

The official added that Khalifa was allegedly responsible for last year’s discrepancy in tax collection figures.

“The objective is to show that FBR has achieved its tax collection target for the first quarter,” the official said.

Experts believe Khalifa’s appointment as director general is in violation of rules, as the Strategic Planning and Statistics member is responsible for the department.

The official said the contract of Khalifa had also expired and she could not continue her job legally.

According to documents available with The Express Tribune, the original tax collection target for the first quarter of 2011-12 was Rs370.6 billion. The figure was furnished in an FBR presentation to the federal finance minister in the presence of the FBR chairman.

However, the tax collection target for the same period was revised downwards to Rs363 billion, according to the recent presentation of Khalifa in the chief commissioners’ conference.

Similarly, FBR’s original tax collection target for September was Rs146.1 billion. The revised target for the same month, according to Khalifa’s presentation, is Rs139.7 billion.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th,  2011.