Field formations: FBR concerned at dismal performance

The Directorate General Intelligence and Investigations (IR) Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has expressed serious concern over the performance of the field formations in discovering new taxpayers, as the results are not encouraging despite dissemination of 150,000 rich people data to the field for documentation of the economy.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Sunday that the FBR had directed the field formations to immediately process all 150,000 cases of elite class where people were earning huge income, but depositing nothing in the national kitty in the form of tax. The field formations can bring all such 150,000 persons into the documented regime as data and profiles of these persons has been communicated to the field formations.
The DG Intelligence IR has particularly noted with concern that reporting mechanism of the field formations in documentation of new persons is the most neglected area of the whole exercise. The reports generated by the field formations are sketchy giving incomplete information about the newly documented persons.
According to the FBR's instructions issued to the Regional Tax Offices, as reiterated in the various correspondence issued by the Directorate General, Broadening of Tax Base (BTB) is one of the foremost priority area of the FBR for the current financial year. Field formations are, therefore, expected to accord it top priority and make concerted efforts for the realisation of the FBR's goals and objective in this crucial area.
The Director General Intelligence & Investigations (IR) has expressed concern on both the importance accorded and results achieved towards the BTB during the first quarter of the current financial year. Not only the results achieved are far from satisfactory, but the overall response is quite at variance with the level of commitment desired by the Board. The FBR has once again re-emphasized the need for giving top priority to BTB. In particular, the following areas call for immediate attention of the field formations, FBR's instructions said.
"This Directorate General has so far communicated information of about 150,000 cases to the field formations for processing at their end. While sharing information, every possible effort is made to provide it in a manner which is most convenient for processing. There is a need not only to realise the tax potential within these cases, but to supplement it with the cases booked through RTOs own efforts," it added.
This Directorate General extends its full support, as highlighted in various correspondences, and is prepared to facilitate wherever a need is felt by the field formations, it added.
"A major aspect of the BTB is its proper reporting to the Directorate General to enable it to monitor progress, make suggestions for improvement and direct efforts for the removal of difficulties. This, unfortunately, is the most neglected part of the whole BTB campaign. Apart from the sketchy and late-filed monthly performance reports (MPRs), even specific information requested through various letters is either provided late, or as noted in the majority of the cases, not provided at all," the instructions maintained.
The FBR has further requested the field formations to report progress towards the BTB in time and in the manner requested by this Directorate General.
It has also been reported that Officers posted in the BTB units in some of the RTOs have not been provided the required logistic support as mentioned in various policy directives. Apart from its reflection on the priority accorded to the BTB campaign, this is bound to impact negatively the performance of the BTB units. BTB units of every field formation is therefore to be equipped with all the material and manpower support as outlined in the various policy documents issued by the Board.
"The goals and objectives of the BTB campaign could only be achieved if the field formations afford to give it due priority. A more effective, properly co-ordinated and disciplined effort is expected from the field formations during the second quarter in particular and the rest of the financial year in general, to cover the lag created through lackluster performance during the first quarter," FBR added.