ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Dr Muhammad Irshad has exhorted the FBR officers posted in field formations to step up their efforts and work to the best of their abilities in the next couple of months to meet the revenue collection target set for the year.
“I know it is a gigantic task but time and again the FBR officers and staff have done it in the past and I am sure with greater focus, energy and vigour in their revenue collection efforts, they can meet this year’s target as well,” he said in a video-link address beamed out live from the FBR House in Islamabad to the officers in FBR’s field formations across the country.
Chief Collector North Sarwat Tahira Habib told Customs Today that during his video address, the FBR chairman has given the clear guidelines to chief collector north to meet the assigned target of current month of April of Financial Year 2016-17.
She said that in the light of the guidelines provided by the chairman, all the relevant MCCs, including MCC Islamabad, MCC Peshawar, MCC Samberial and MCC Gilgit-Baltistan, have been intimated to follow them in letter and spirit.
The chief collector north is optimistic that all the collectorates, working under the jurisdiction of chief collector office, will achieve the assigned target of current month and the current Financial Year 2016-17.
While speaking to the officers after his extension as the FBR chairman, Dr Irshad said he had lots of expectations from the officers of both IRS and PCS posted in the field formations to prove that they were capable of delivering on the hopes and promises of generating sufficient revenue to drive the socio-economic agenda of the government.
“It is a question of professional capacity, competence, prestige and honour that each one of us faces in measuring up to the challenge of achieving the tax collection target and stemming the trend of revenue shortfall that has gone unchecked for almost three quarters in a row now,” he said.
The chairman reminded the officers that there were certain areas such as recovery of arrears, realisation of revenue stuck up in litigation, regular auction of confiscated goods, implementation of valuation rulings and expeditious clearance of goods at ports and airports which with renewed efforts and greater focus could yield a considerable amount of revenue to shore up the overall revenue figures for the current year.
He assured the officers that he understood and deeply valued the welfare of all his officers and staff and he had already in a short period as Chairman FBR taken a host of measures to inject new energy and vigour in the organisation by resolving pending issues regarding promotions, upgradation of posts and fresh recruitments. “My vision is to transform FBR into a choice organisation in the public sector, by providing the best environment for discharge of duties .. I wish to transform FBR into an organisation which cares for its employees … I believe in the fact that a happy employee is a productive employee and employee satisfaction and employee welfare within the ambit of law are positively correlated,” he added.
Dr Irshad also shared with the officers the aims and objectives of the FBR Foundation that had already become operational with the swearing-in of Saleem Ahmed Ranjha, a BS-21 officer of Pakistan Customs Service, as its first CEO the other day.
“Every journey begins with the first step taken in the right direction and it is my resolve to make every possible effort for the welfare of employees whether serving or retired and FBR Foundation provides an ideal platform for offering all types of welfare services, including quality education and healthcare, in a structured fashion to the serving and retired employees of FBR,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, FBR Foundation CEO Saleem Ahmed Ranjha thanked the officers and FBR leadership for reposing trust in him and letting him the opportunity to serve the FBR employees. He said he had several ideas in his mind to turn them into initiatives in the coming months as he hoped to work in close association with his fellow FBR colleagues to make the FBR Foundation a success. He said the membership drive for the Foundation would start very soon and the membership form would be uploaded on FBR’s website.
