Petition about reward mechanism: Court puts FBR, others on notice

PESHAWAR: A bench of the Islamabad High Court, headed by Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas, has issued notices to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the federal government, and other relevant authorities in response to a writ petition challenging a separate reward mechanism devised for senior officers while ignoring non-cadre officials involved in tax collection.

The writ petition was filed through Advocate Ishaq Ali Qazi on behalf of Akbar Nawaz and other land revenue officers and employees of the Income Tax Department.

It stated that the petitioners were employees of the Income Tax Department and had been actively involved in tax collection duties for several years.

According to the petition, department employees have traditionally been awarded incentives based on the proportion of tax collected, encouraging them to perform their duties with dedication and ultimately benefiting the national exchequer.

However, in 2025, a new Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) was issued that created a separate additional cadre exclusively for CSP (Civil Services of Pakistan) officers. Previously, rewards were distributed evenly among all officers.

The petition argued that this new policy discriminated against non-cadre officers and amounted to biased treatment.

Advocate Ishaq Ali Qazi told the court that tax collection was a joint effort involving all staff members, from Class IV employees to senior officers.

He questioned why only CSP officers should receive rewards when all employees contribute equally to tax collection.