IRS Officers Association Says FBR’s Misguided Policies Are Causing Revenue Shortfalls

The Inland Revenue Service Officer’s Association (IRSOA) in a letter “solely and categorically” attributed the persistent shortfall and inability to achieve the assigned revenue targets by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) 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 the 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, it said. According to an in-house survey conducted by the IRSOA, more than eighty percent of junior field officers are working with the lowest salary among all the Federal Government departments and without the provision of transport, fuel, and residential facilities. 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 has expressed its serious reservations on the undue delay and dilly-dallying in the holding of the Departmental Promotion Board from BS 18 to 19 by the FBR management without any cogent reason. IRSOA said that it was the same organization that consistently achieved its assigned targets over the last year with the same workforce. However, the inexperience 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 possible if the real obstacles hindering this aim are removed.