No response: FBR dragging feet on senior SC lawyer’s complaint
Petition urges board to check maladministration and corruption.
Petition urges board to check maladministration and corruption. CREATIVE COMMONS
ISLAMABAD:
Despite a lapse of two years, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been unable to reply to a petition filed by a senior Supreme Court lawyer urging the tax collector to check maladministration and corruption in the non-resident shipping Income tax sector, Southern Region, Karachi.
Documents available with the Express Investigation Cell (EIC) reveal Agha Faquir Mohammad Advocate of the Supreme Court filed a representation petition before the FBR Chairman on May 8, 2012, stating that a deputy commissioner of Income Tax Southern Region, Karachi is engaged in corruption which has caused a loss of billions of rupees to the exchequer.
Faquir said he observed the maladministration during the income tax proceedings of his client, a Japan-based shipping company. The gross income of the company was exempt from taxation under section 107 of Pakistan-Japan treaty, he maintained in his complaint.
FBR did not reply to Faquir positively, following which the complainant filed a reminder to the FBR chairman on January 23, 2014.
Faquir had earlier, in 2012, filed another complaint on the matter before the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO). The issue was resolved and then FTO Shoaib Suddle reported the maladministration alleged by Faquir in his findings. Suddle directed FBR to ensure compliance with Faquir’s matter within 15 days.
Since then, Faquir has vigorously resisted the promotion of Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali to grade-19. .
The complainant informed FBR that Ali had been suspended before while serving as assistant commissioner Income Tax at the same office and inquiry was conducted into his alleged misconduct. The FBR chairman appointed a two-member panel to scrutinise Ali’s conduct. The panel found Ali guilty.
After appearing in response to a show cause notice issued by the FBR chairman, Ali requested a personal hearing and a lenient view over the matter. The personal hearing was allowed, following which only a minor penalty was imposed against Ali without explaining any valid reason.
Talking to EIC, Faquir said FBR has been reluctant to take any action over his petition, which has been pending for the last two years.
When contacted, FBR Chairman Tariq Bajwa asked this correspondent on April 11 to send all material related to the matter on his email so that he could check relevant records before commenting. The material was sent the same day, but the chairman never responded back. Despite repeated attempts, FBR authorities have been avoiding commenting on the issue.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2014.
Despite a lapse of two years, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been unable to reply to a petition filed by a senior Supreme Court lawyer urging the tax collector to check maladministration and corruption in the non-resident shipping Income tax sector, Southern Region, Karachi.
Documents available with the Express Investigation Cell (EIC) reveal Agha Faquir Mohammad Advocate of the Supreme Court filed a representation petition before the FBR Chairman on May 8, 2012, stating that a deputy commissioner of Income Tax Southern Region, Karachi is engaged in corruption which has caused a loss of billions of rupees to the exchequer.
Faquir said he observed the maladministration during the income tax proceedings of his client, a Japan-based shipping company. The gross income of the company was exempt from taxation under section 107 of Pakistan-Japan treaty, he maintained in his complaint.
FBR did not reply to Faquir positively, following which the complainant filed a reminder to the FBR chairman on January 23, 2014.
Faquir had earlier, in 2012, filed another complaint on the matter before the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO). The issue was resolved and then FTO Shoaib Suddle reported the maladministration alleged by Faquir in his findings. Suddle directed FBR to ensure compliance with Faquir’s matter within 15 days.
Since then, Faquir has vigorously resisted the promotion of Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali to grade-19. .
The complainant informed FBR that Ali had been suspended before while serving as assistant commissioner Income Tax at the same office and inquiry was conducted into his alleged misconduct. The FBR chairman appointed a two-member panel to scrutinise Ali’s conduct. The panel found Ali guilty.
After appearing in response to a show cause notice issued by the FBR chairman, Ali requested a personal hearing and a lenient view over the matter. The personal hearing was allowed, following which only a minor penalty was imposed against Ali without explaining any valid reason.
Talking to EIC, Faquir said FBR has been reluctant to take any action over his petition, which has been pending for the last two years.
When contacted, FBR Chairman Tariq Bajwa asked this correspondent on April 11 to send all material related to the matter on his email so that he could check relevant records before commenting. The material was sent the same day, but the chairman never responded back. Despite repeated attempts, FBR authorities have been avoiding commenting on the issue.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2014.