According to a document available with Daily Express, these officials also do not have NTN. PHOTO: FILE
More than 200 high level officers of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) have not submitted their tax returns and some of them do not even have their national tax numbers (NTN).
According to a document available with Daily Express, the FBR has taken serious note of the officials’ behavior and ordered them to submit their returns with fine under the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 by June 16.
The FBR has a total strength of 1,743 officers from grade 17 to 22. Of these, approximately 500 officials submit their tax returns. Some of them prefer to submit returns manually, rather than online, the document says.
The senior officers who have failed to file the returns include Additional Secretary Azra Mujtaba, FBR Member for Customs Nisar Muhammad Khan, Member Accounts Fiza Muzaffar, Director General Sajjad Haider Afzal Cheema, Director General Customs Intelligence and Investigation Lutfullah Virk, Ali Salman Abbasi and Khalid Mehmood.
According to sources, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is serious about the issue and is not ready to tolerate any lethargy in this regard. A testimony to his unyielding resolve can be had from the publication of the tax directory of parliamentarians. A circular to the FBR officers has been issued giving them the deadline of June 16.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and FBR Chairman Tariq Bajwa have also submitted their returns and the bureau is busy taking action against non-filers. Source said notices were being sent to the officers and the accounts of the non-filers were being frozen.
According to the document, the finance ministry is upset over the fact that the FBR officers, who are entrusted with the task of collecting tax and encouraging people to submit their tax returns, are evading the law. The ministry has expressed its resentment over the situation.
Mass scale scrutiny, disciplinary actions and transfers are expected in the bureau just after the budget announcement.
TRANSLATED BY ARSHAD SHAHEEN
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2014.
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Actually the non-filer FBR officers were very pious people and did not want to lie about their income. I mean accepting bribe is already a sin, why gather more sin by lying!
If the government manages to put the FBR house in-order, they should ensure that all government servants are filing returns, before going after the 'awam'!
such situation shows the irreparable damage done to the very fabric of our social society....how can we expect our country to prosper when regulators themselves are dishonest, & do not follow rules and law...little pressure from the elite class & finance ministry withdraws the SRO....little pressure from the elite class & finance ministry / FBR exempts owners of luxury cars from additional taxes.....just to name few instances....that is the situation we are in.....
1090 officers of FBR in grade 17 to 22 had not filed Return of Income till 20 May 2014 Further the approved cadre strength of FBR is 1503 Please check these facts if you want from FBR spokesman