Move against tax evaders without fear, FBR chief tells officers

ISLAMABAD: While encouraging FBR’s intelligence unit to move against tax evaders without any fear, chairman FBR Tariq Bajwa directed his officers to protect national revenue and to focus on cases of large tax evaders and mega frauds.
“Move ahead without any fear against tax evaders,” he told the first Directorate Conference of Intelligence and Investigation (I&1) Inland Revenues (IR) here on Monday.The I&1, IR has launched operation against mega tax frauds and has now started recommending authorities to register FIRs against all those public sector employees who joined hands with evaders to cause massive losses to the national exchequer.
There are some legal lacunas in the way of competent authority to register FIRs keeping in view Income Tax Ordinance 2001 so some changes in law might be incorporated in months ahead for taking stern actions against the dirty fish within the FBR.According to official statement issued after the conference, Tariq Bajwa, chairman Federal Board of Revenue addressed the first ever annual Officers’ Conference of the I&I (IR).
For the first time all officers from seven (7) directorates of the organisation attended a daylong session at Islamabad. The conference focused on sharing of best practices and experiences in intelligence and investigation and it was an intensive brain storming session. The Director General stressed the need to go an extra mile to target high net worth individuals’ cases in the interest of revenue.
Chairman FBR also addressed the officers at the I&I (IR) headquarters at Islamabad. The chairman while congratulating the officers of I&I (IR) on their performance, reposed full confidence in the ability of the officers to target the non-taxpaying big fish in the society. The chairman also delved on the need for developing SOPs for development of the organisational structure of the Directorate General in order to transform it into a redoubtable deterrent against tax evasion. He further encouraged the officers to work without fear and to protect national revenue and to focus on cases of large tax evaders and cases of mega frauds.