ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has completed revision of the policy guidelines for payment of performance allowance to employees and new policy guidelines to be implemented this month.
A well-placed source at the FBR Thursday told Customs Today that several meetings of Board- in -Council held under the FBR chairman, conducted detailed deliberations on revision of policy guidelines regarding payment of the performance allowance to employees and report was almost finalised. The FBR adopted the mechanism for paying performance allowance to employees in 2003 to encourage and higher the morals to improve performance of the staff to get better results. “Now the new and revised policy guidelines are likely to be implemented during the current month,” the source said.
The previous policy guidelines in this regard were revised and finalised in 2012 under which FBR HRM Wing was authorised to conduct selection process by receiving and processing performance applications. After selection and approved by the competent authority, Admin Wing FBR issued notification of selected employees. The procedure for selection for performance allowance based on interview only for officers of grade-17 and above, staff from grade 5-16 interview and computer proficiency test while staff from grade1 to 4 performa evaluation.
The interview panel comprised FBR Chairman, three officers of grade-21 to conduct interview for officers of grade 20; three officers of grade 20 to conduct interview of officers of grade 19; three officers of grade 19 to conduct interview of officers of grade 17-18 while three officers of grade 17/18 to interview staff of grade1-16.
However, under the revised policy guidelines, the source said that power and authority of receiving and processing of applications for performance allowance had been delegated to regional headquarters. Although the policy guidelines have been improved and revised in a hope to encourage staffers to perform well, yet the source said that employees were considering the delegation of authority of nomination, receiving and processing of the application as a tool in the hands of regional heads to commit injustice on staff which would not act in accordance to their wishes.
“Moreover, this authority would also promote favouritism in the payment of performance allowance to only blue eyed people,” an official expressed concerns on anonymity condition, adding that officers would only forward and process applications of their near and dear ones in this regard.
