ISLAMABAD: Member Administration, Federal Board of Revenue, Ms. Tasneem Rehman has said the Federal Board of Revenue is performing well, and overall tax revenue collection is growing year by year. The cases of corruption and misconduct against officers or any employee will be decided on merit and absolute justice will be done in this regard.
Giving an interview to Customs Today, she stated that my priorities are to make the Federal Board of Revenue corruption-free institution and complete the development projects, especially which are under construction, and start new projects as soon as possible, and clear the backlog of work and pending matters.
The betterment and welfare of the employees of the Federal Board of Revenue is also my priority. I will always try to facilitate them. The Federal Board of Revenue is most efficient and effective organization among all other government institutions and has effective administration wing which is performing its duties with great responsibilities. I am proud of being a Member of the FBR. The world’s institutions have recognized our expertise and services. Tax revenue collection is difficult and hard job, especially when we don’t have culture of tax.
She added that admin wing remains watchful to ensure that transfers and postings are decided on merit and sees that no ambiguity is left in this regard. She further said no recommendation is considered for postings and transfers. Under the supervision of Tariq Mehmood Pasha, Chairman FBR, all the work is carried out absolutely on merit, he proudly said. Under the new setup, the administration wing is working in a congenial environment and exercising its free will in the selection of officers in important places.
She further stated that infrastructure maintenance of the FBR buildings, on rent or ownership, is also a basic function of our department. We deal with maintenance and construction of buildings, offices and even residences of officers. In reply to a question, She said if complaints against the FBR officers are anonymous and of general nature and allegations do not contain any evidence, then there would hardly be any justification for taking action.
However, complaints with specific details and evidences are first verified through various means and then a preliminary report is prepared to initiate a disciplinary action against the officers. Apart from admin wing, she said other wings in FBR and government agencies simultaneously deal with the investigation of complaints about corruption and corrupt practices.
The culture of filing genuine complaints does not exist in our country due to various reasons like fear of retribution, lack of trust and faith in the system and lack of knowledge of the legal rights of traders under various laws. She said that there is a proper mechanism established for complaints which is simple and quick in nature. “If we find any complaint in writing and there is nobody to own the complaint then we cannot work on it, he stressed. We can only act upon the specific details and material evidence, he further said. “Once we find out any evidence, we initiate proceedings in this regard”. At present some complaints and fact-finding inquiries are pending and there are other cases in which charge-sheets have been prepared and issued, he told.
