Queries on tax-related matters: officials must issue acknowledgement receipts

Taking a major facilitative step to resolve tax-related matters of business community, Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Salman Siddiq has made it mandatory for the officials to issue acknowledgement receipts on queries, clarifications, presentations, letters, e-mails, tax disputes and complaints.
In this regard, the FBR on Friday issued a standing order to streamline procedures for speedy processing of applications of the business community. This is for the first time that any FBR Chairman has decided to give due considerations to the problems of the business community, which were communicated to the Board through letters.
Once the acknowledgement receipts have been issued to the taxpayers, the FBR would be bound to respond to the queries to the taxpayers. The presentation could be rejected or accepted, but the FBR would be bound to respond to the questions raised by the taxpayers. In this way, the whole process would be documented and taxpayer will get an early response to their letters and queries.
According to the standing order, Secretary, Revenue Division/Chairman, FBR has observed that the communications made by private sector individuals/firms are not acknowledged at any level to whom these are addressed. This silence is not only discourteous but also raises doubts in public mind regarding the responsiveness of our (FBR) organisation.
In future an acknowledgement whether by way of a letter, SMS or e-mail, should invariably be provided so as to create confidence about our organisational behaviour in the public mind. A standardised acknowledgement receipt may also be circulated for the facility of officers.
It has, therefore, been decided that in future an acknowledgement in the following format, either in writing or through e-mail, should invariably be provided by the office to whom the communication is addressed, so as to create confidence about our organisational behaviour in the public mind, FBR added.
When contacted, tax experts were surprised that Salman Siddiqui has given due importance to the communications of the taxpayers. Previously, the FBR had introduced an internal system of E-DOX in the FBR to maintain record of files within the tax department. However, the E-DOX has no role to expedite speedy processing of applications of the private sector. The E-DOX only worked as an internal official file management system or file tracking system which fails to help the taxpayers in any form for early response to their communications.
This is a very bold step to document all the applications and queries of the taxpayers which would facilitate the taxpayers in obtaining early response of their queries, analyst added. Following is the text of the standardised acknowledgement in response to private sector individuals/firms communications:

"GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN"

(Name and address of office)

* ** * *

Receipt diary No ........           Dated .............. 2011.

SUBJECT:.......................................................................

The undersigned acknowledges the receipt of your letter No .......  dated....... addressed to this office on the subject. Progress on the action taken with regard to contents of your letter shall be communicated in due Course.

     Race Wed by (Name and Signatures.)

     Tel:_______________

3. Receipt of this Standing Order may be acknowledged.