ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Policy and Operation wings have failed to defend a case before Dr Asif Jah, Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO), wherein FBR has burdened taxpayers with heavy cost for forcefully implementing online integrated businesses and configure retail outlets with FBR’s e-computerized system and alleged violations of privacy of taxpayers’ data.
It is reliably learnt that FTO has ordered an investigation against the FBR for forcefully implementation of SRO 428 to online integrate businesses on the basis of a complaint moved by advocate Waheed Shahbaz Butt. As per official record data on FTO website at http://onlinecomplaints.cloudns.asia:4041/presentation/onlinesearch case been fixed for hearing.
The FTO’s investigation is expected to provide relief to taxpayers who have been struggling to comply with the FBR’s demands. The outcome of the investigation will also have significant implications for the FBR’s policies and procedures. Waheed stated how can a private company pick, hold and use taxpayer’s fiscal data under the umbrella of online integration of businesses and configure retail outlets with FBR’s e-computerized system when the Supreme Court in their separate notes in PLD 2021 SC1 ordered initiation of Disciplinary proceedings under E&D Rules and criminal proceedings under section 198 against tax officials who contravened section 216 (privacy of taxpayer data).
Complainant further added “to avoid heavy cost of litigation and wastage of precious time/resources, kindly issue recommendations to the FBR to provide complete documentation, SOP(s), Flow Chart of Fiscal/tax information provided to private company selected by FBR, breach of personal privacy under the law (Section 216), exorbitant charges, similar practices in neighbouring and other countries in the World, lawful mandate to nominate one private company across Pakistan for POS activities, and other ancillary documents/data to prove that there is no favouritism and nepotism on the part of FBR tax employees, before proceedings further in the instant case.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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