ISLAMABAD: The low-grade staff from BS-1 to 16 of Large Taxpayer Office (LTO), Islamabad and Regional Tax Office (RTO), Islamabad and RTO Rawalpindi continued their protest demanding equal access to the newly introduced performance management scheme and an equitable distribution of rewards and allowances.
The employees are particularly dissatisfied with the exclusion of their cadre from the new performance rewards system, which has been extended only to officers in BS-17 and above. Their demands include a share in the common pool fund, performance-based rewards, and the de-freezing of the special allowance.
The protesters urged the government to withdraw of discriminatory amendment made in Reward Rules 2021 through SRO No. 604(I)/ 2025 dated 16/04/2025.
They said that they written letter on Tuesday to FBR Chairman, the FBR must immediately rescind SRO No. 604(I)/2025 dated 16/04/2025 being explicit violation of section 227A of Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, 72C of the Act, 1990 and section 42C of the Act, 2005 as these sections clearly include both officers and officials in the rewards and any notification / SRO against these sections is illegal and void. Further the SRO is against Article 3, 25, 37 and 38 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
They said that a new SRO must be issued ensuring that all employees, whether cadre or non-cadre, are treated equally in the application of reward rules without discrimination.”
Despite this, the protests intensified, with employees staging a pen-down strike at FBR headquarters and holding rallies across regional offices in various cities.
According to letter written by non-Cadre Employees to the Chairman FBR Islamabad, “the Revision of Common Pool Fund (CPF) Rules 2023 distribution rules known as IRS Common Pool Fund Rules 2023 issued through Notification No. 1(4)-Chief (ST-Operations) CPF/2023 dated 16/01/2023 and its subsequent amendments must be withdrawn and redrafted in consultation with all stakeholders. The new rules must guarantee equitable and fair allocation of CPF benefits to all employees, irrespective of cadre status.”
“The Performance allowance (IJP Allowance) which is 100% of the basic pay must immediately be de-frozen on the current running basic pay, which was frozen in 2015 on the basic pay scale of 2011 which is now merely 20% of the running basic pay or else grant disparity reduction allowance as granted to All Federal Government Employees.”
“We request the FBR Chairman to address and resolve these demands within a week. We reaffirm that our demands are not against any group or cadre but against systemic discrimination. We stand united for equality, justice, and the dignity of every FBR employee,” the letter said.
The protest highlighted a growing discontent among the FBR workforce, as approximately 85% of the total staff, around 16,550 employees out of 28,000, fall under grades BS-1 to BS-16. The workers argued that the performance rewards and allowances should be distributed equitably across all ranks and not just among the senior officers in BS-17 and above.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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