KARACHI: The amnesty scheme recently launched by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to whiten undeclared money will not be available for the holders of public offices and government officials, FBR’s official spokesperson Shahid Hussain Asad has said.
“The incentive scheme is offered to general public but it is not for government officials, as they are already submitting their assets on a regular basis,” said Asad, who is also FBR Member Inland Revenue (Policy).
FBR on December 20, 2013 issued a statutory regulatory order, allowing immunity from the audit and other penalties to the national tax number (NTN) holders in filing their income tax returns on the condition that the persons intending to avail of the scheme pay Rs 20,000 for each year.
The taxpayers can avail of the immunity from the comprehensive audit by paying Rs 100,000 for the last five years.
Official sources in tax departments and customs offices located in Karachi said that some of the FBR officials will try to avail of the amnesty due accumulation of corruption money to escape from any questioning. The officials also said that such corrupt officials may avail of the scheme by declaring the income through their spouses or their dependents.
Asad further said that the activities of government officials are being monitored under other prevailing laws and in case any official trying to avail of the scheme would be apprehended by the law-enforcement agencies.
Tax experts are also unanimous that the government officials cannot avail of the facility, as they are custodians of public money. “Any such bid will be treated as dishonesty and may be punishable under the civil servant laws,” Dr Ikramul Haq, advocate of the Supreme Court and international tax expert, said.
Dr Haq said that it is a wrong impression created on the amnesty scheme that parliamentarians or government officials can avail of the scheme.
“Neither a government official nor his dependent can avail of the immunity because every parliamentarian and the government official is bound to declare his and his dependent’s assets regularly,” he added.
He also said that any parliamentarian will automatically disqualify in case of availing of the scheme of whitening the black money. The government officials are monitored under the Government Servants Act, 1973 and penalties are available in case of misconduct or corruption under the Government Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 1973.
According to the rules, provisions of penal action will be invoked where a government servant, in the opinion of the authority: is inefficient or has ceased to be efficient; is guilty of misconduct; is corrupt, or may reasonably be considered corrupt because he or any of his dependents or any other person through him or on his behalf is/are in possession (for he cannot reasonably account) of pecuniary resources or of property disproportionate to his known sources of income.
