ISLAMABAD: Abdur Rauf Chaudhry, Federal Tax Ombudsman, has said the business community is playing an important role in the economic development of the country and he will constitute a committee, comprising representatives of ICCI and FTO, to address complaints of taxpayers for providing them with speedy justice.
He said this while expressing his views at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He assured the businessmen of taking up the highlighted issues of their community with chairman, FBR, for remedial measures. He said the powers of FBR Intelligence Department need to be curtailed to remove the elements of harassment in the business community. Highlighting the initiatives of his organization, he said the Federal Tax Ombudsman was established in 2000 to address tax complaints of aggrieved taxpayers. He said the FTO normally receives 1500-2000 complaints and 90% of the complaints are decided in favour of aggrieved parties.
He said eight regional offices of the FTO are working in various cities and more offices are in the pipeline to provide inexpensive and speedy justice to aggrieved taxpayers.
In his welcome address, Khalid Iqbal Malik, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the taxpayers are contributing to the revenue generation of the country and it is need of the hour that government should take policy measures to make tax collection system simpler and easier.
He appreciated the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) for agreeing to form a joint committee and hoped that it would be helpful in redressing tax grievances. He said the FTO has reconstituted its Advisory Committee which is laudable and emphasized that periodic meetings of said committee should be called on regular basis to sort out the issues of taxpayers.
Khalid Malik, Senior Vice-President, Tahir Ayub, Vice-President ICCI, Khalid Javed, Tariq Sadiq, Mian Shaukat Masud, Sanaullah Khan, Khalid Chaudhry, Mian Waqas and others also spoke and highlighted the issues that need the attention of the FTO.
