Taxing matters: Mamnoon asks tax ombudsman to step up

President calls for innovative approach to ensure justice to taxpayers.

ISLAMABAD:

President Mamnoon Hussain has urged the federal tax ombudsman (FTO) to take vigorous steps and an innovative approach to ensure inexpensive and immediate justice to taxpayers.

While speaking to Abdur Rauf Chaudhry at the Aiwan-e-Sadr, the president said the institution of FTO was an important government organisation, mandated to redress the complaints of maladministration and rectify injustice done to taxpayers by the tax authorities.

Chaudhry presented the annual performance report of the Federal Tax Ombudsman for the year 2013 during the meeting.

He briefed the president about FTO, its establishment, charter and functions and various initiatives being taken by it for speedy disposal of complaints regarding the taxes.

The President appreciated the role of the office of FTO towards resolution of tax payers’ grievances and problems ever since its establishment in year 2000.

The President assured the FTO of every possible support and patronage in efficient and smooth performance of his mandate.

According to the report, the FTO decided on 1,856 complaints out of the total 1,898 received in 2013, 1,438 complaints (77.48%) were decided in favour of the taxpayers, 235 were rejected, 183 complaints were withdrawn and 86 cases were informally settled during 2013.

The report says that 84.21% of the findings/decisions of the FTO were accepted by taxpayers and the Federal Board of Revenue, while only 15.79% decisions were challenged. The report further stated that an amount of Rs8.23 billion was refunded to taxpayers on FTO’s recommendations.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2014.

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