FBR’s reform process chokes in Shabbar Zaidi’s absence

ISLAMABAD: In the wake of government’s inability to find out new FBR chairman on permanent basis, the restructuring plan for tax machinery hit snags as the FBR failed to meet its deadline for finalising its recommendations to bring reforms into obsolete tax structure system.

The Institutional Reform Committee led by Dr Ishrat Hussain has been assigned for undertaking reform process into different ministries/divisions and attached departments. There was deadline of January 20, 2020 for finalising restructuring plan for FBR devised on the basis of feedback from the FBR machinery but after going on medical leave by the outgoing FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi the reform process into FBR severely got slowdown. Almost more than one month passed but the FBR so far remained unable to finalise its recommendations, added the sources.

When one top official was contacted on Saturday, he confirmed to this scribe while slapping condition of anonymity that in the aftermath of Shabbar Zaidi’s illness the reform plan severely choked and nothing could be finalised so far after passing the envisaged deadline. The FBR chairman had almost gone having no chances to come back for resuming his charge so the government was also in search to find out suitable replacement for him.

The government is likely to make two appointments one is Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Revenues and the government is considering option of appointing Haroon Akhtar Khan on this slot.

Different names are under consideration for the slot of FBR chairman and among top contenders are finding out any suitable name within the ranks of tax collection machinery. There are 6 to 8 officers in grade 22 from Inland Revenue Service (IRS) and 2 officers from Customs Group because the experience from outside the FBR ranks as well as from private sector had so far failed to bring any desired results. The names of Javed Ghani, Tariq Mehmood Pasha, Nausheen Javed, Mujtaba Memon and some others are under consideration for this top slot of FBR chairman.

On the reform plan, the FBR officers had sternly opposed any move that was undertaken without taken them into confidence. Then the Steering Committee was constituted and then sub-committees were formed to deliberate different proposals and then come up with finalised recommendations.

The Inland Revenue Service (IRS) Officers through Islamabad Committee prepared its report and given recommendations whereby they asked the government to keep FBR into public sector domain and opposed any proposal to convert FBR into autonomous body. On FBR chairman, they proposed to appoint someone within the fold of tax collection machinery instead of bringing in any outsider.

According to official documents available with The News show that the FBR’s Steering Committee was given deadline of January 20, 2020 for finalising recommendations but after getting vacations by FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi on medical grounds for indefinite period the government so far remained unable to find his replacement. Although, the government has given acting charge to Chairperson FBR Nausheen Javed but the PTI-led government so far failed to appoint FBR chairman on permanent basis. The official communication of the FBR reads out that the deadline for submission of steering committee was already lapsed as the sub-committee did not submit their report till envisaged deadline of January 20, 2020. “The Chairperson Steering Committee has desired that the final reports may be submitted to the Steering Committee by February 26, 2020”, the communication concluded.