FTO disposes of 6,034 complaints in year 2022

PESHAWAR: The office of the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has achieved record disposal of 6,034 complaints in the year 2022.

The FTO office received 6959 complaints, out of which 6034 have been disposed of, compared to the year 2021 wherein 2868 complaints had been disposed of out of 3371, stated Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, the honourary media coordinator for the FTO office.

in a statement issued here on Monday he said that being a former senior tax officer, Dr Asif Jah had a vast experience in tax matters and has resorted to maximum utilization of Section 33 of the FTO Ordinance, 2000, regarding the informal resolution of disputes.

The FTO Office had its presence in seven cities when he took over last year on September 29, 2021 and is expanded in year 2022 to other five cities, including Sargodha, Sialkot, Sukkur, Abbottabad and Hub to provide speedy justice to the aggrieved taxpayers at their doorstep.

The FTO has appointed 34 leading businessmen as honourary advisors after selecting them from various chambers of commerce and industry to facilitate the aggrieved taxpayers in filing complaints to the office of the FTO.

It said the office’s aim is to resolve tax matters of the aggrieved taxpayers on a priority basis in a transparent, swift and cost-free manner within the shortest possible time span.To achieve these objectives, the FTO has introduced an open door policy, quick disposal, merit-based relief, awareness campaign (87 sessions), advisory committee revamping (47 new members added), creation of an Overseas Pakistanis Grievance Redressal Cell, special research studies conducted, translation of FTO Ordinance-2000 in Urdu and launching of a monthly newsletter, he added.

It said that no fee is charged against the filing of a complaint, and a complainant can file his complaint in written form or through WhatsApp, on the web page or on the mobile app of the FTO office. The status of the pending complaint could be checked by the complainant by dialing 9386.

The FTO has decided in the recent past that FBR should not deduct tax on the income of daily wagers and contract employees, falling below the minimum threshold of taxable income. Similarly, FTO had ordered a return of sales tax difference in the booking and delivery of Suzuki cars to their purchasers, thus benefiting tens of thousands of customers.