MULTAN: Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) Dr. Asif Mahmood Jah has said that taxpayers are now fully confident in obtaining their legitimate income tax and sales tax refunds, amounting to billions, following the intervention of the FTO’s office and satisfactory compliance by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
Addressing the media at the FTO Headquarters on Friday, Dr. Jah highlighted that the delay in payment of refunds has been a significant concern for the FTO office.
Despite the automation in refund payments, the mindset of the relevant tax officials in field formations remains unchanged. The number of complaints against the FBR has significantly increased in the first five months of 2024.
From January to May 2024, the FTO office registered 4,754 complaints against FBR’s maladministration, compared to 3,270 complaints during the same period in 2023, reflecting an increase of 1,494 cases. In January-May 2022, the FTO office received 2,210 complaints.
Taxpayers are now aware that the FBR is compelled to issue refunds due to the timely intervention of the FTO.
Last year, the FBR issued over Rs13 billion in refunds following orders from the FTO office. The FTO office does not direct the FBR to sanction refunds but instructs it to process refunds as per the law. It is the responsibility of the FBR to legally process, determine, and sanction the admissible amount of refunds to taxpayers.
