PM's adviser asks FBR to find ways to reform itself

ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Adviser on the Establishment Division, Mohammad Shezad Arbab, has asked the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to propose reforms for bringing about much-awaited improvements to the national tax machinery. “The FBR has received a letter from the PM Office seeking suggestions to reform the tax collection machinery. Now, an actionable plan with implementation deadlines would be devised,” a top official source told The News on Monday. Other advisors and special assistants to the prime minister have sought similar suggestions to reform important public sector institutions. FBR Chairman Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan told The News he was busy drafting various tax proposals as part of the reforms agenda. His top priority would be to introduce performance management, effective monitoring and evaluation, and the consistent up-gradation of the FBR human resources policy to implement the agenda of the government.He said short, medium and long term plans would be devised to expedite immediate measures, while a roadmap for reforms would be devised to implement the overall agenda in phases over the next two to three years. Asked about the prospective separation of tax administration and tax policy into separate wings, Jehanzeb said it was good idea in principle, but the FBR would have to enhance its capacity to deliver on these two fronts. He promised to consult all segments of society, including the media, to bring about desired reforms to the FBR. All such previous efforts to reform the FBR met with failure.