ISLAMABAD: The Inland Revenue Service Officer’s Association (IRSOA) of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has held incumbent top brass of FBR responsible for shortfall in revenue of Rs 356 billion during the first five months of current fiscal year.
In a statement, IRSOA says that it solely and categorically attributes the persistent shortfall and inability to achieve the assigned revenue targets by the Federal Board of Revenue to the myopic and parochial policy framework instituted by the current FBR administration.
The policies being pursued by the FBR administration in the name of so-called “Transformation Plan” have led to widespread disgruntlement among the FBR officers on the one hand and caused a serious deviation in the revenue collection efforts on the other.
According to an in-house survey conducted by the IRSOA, more than eighty percent of junior field officers who are the foot soldiers in the revenue collection are working with the lowest salary among all the Federal Government departments and without the provision of transport, fuel and residential facility. Furthermore, the recent large-scale transfer/posting of junior officers in particular to far-flung areas without the provision of basic facilities and stigmatizing them with the label of corruption based on subjective criteria has led to further discontentment and dissatisfaction among the officers.
IRSOA also expresses its serious reservations on the undue delay and dilly-dallying in the holding of Departmental Promotion Board from BS 18 to 19 by the FBR management without any cogent reason. IRSOA reiterates that it was the same organization which consistently achieved its assigned targets over the last year with the same workforce.
However, the inexperience and misguided policies and the apathetic attitude of the current administration towards Inland Revenue Officers have led to the massive revenue shortfall of approximately Rs. 356 billion in the first five months of the current financial year only. IRSOA has already conveyed its qualms on the Transformation Plan touted as “homegrown” whereas in reality neither the officers input was sought nor were they taken on board in this regard. Moreover, this plan has yet to see the light of the day. IRSOA reaffirms its commitment to work in the best interests of Pakistan and its members to achieve economic growth and independence but that is only impossible if the real obstacles hindering this aim are removed.
