Interaction with KCDR to be promoted: Federal Tax Ombudsman

KARACHI: Federal Tax Ombudsman Dr. Muhammad Shoab Suddle on Saturday said he will propose a batch of 20 officers from different ombudsmen offices to provide training at Karachi Centre for Dispute Resolution (KCDR) and to promote interaction among them.

He informed this to Chairman KCDR, Justice (Retd) Said uz Zaman Siddiqui during his visit to the Centre here to see the facilities-opportunities for capacity building of officials of FTO secretariat on arbitration.

Leading industrialist Engr. M.A. Jabbar, who is past Vice President of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and the In-charge WTO Centre at FPCCI, also accompanied him.

The Federal Tax Ombudsman was informed that the KCDR, set up few years back with the support and cooperation of International Financial Centre (IFC), has been imparting training on mediation to professionals including judges, lawyers and tax-collectors.

These trainings had proved very productive in dispute resolution. The time period is two to six whole days and the cost per participant is linked to the number of trainees in a group and normally it is Rs 20,000.

Federal Tax Ombudsman has an advisory staff comprising highly experienced professionals from Customs, Excise, Income Tax and Judiciary.

The FTO said that there is always room for improvement in any profession and that professionals associated with FTO office will gain from the trainings-short courses.

This will be in the interest of tax collectors and tax-payers.

Dr Suddle talking to APP said he believed that the on-going proceedings in his office have resulted in improving trust of taxpayers in institutions.

Wherein, he said, FTO office has been providing a voice to taxpayers which is being properly transmitted to Federal Board of Revenue in terms of decisions, advices and notices for acting within ambit of tax statues.

He said that he would be satisfied with the performance of his secretariat when the magnitude of complaints is decreasing year-to-year basis and the level of trust among taxpayers in FTO office is increasing.

He said the country's economy and the harmony needs corrective measures to the extent that taxpayers feel comfortable with tax collecting agencies in presence of FTO office.

He said the country has a big potential for value-adding economy and increasing tax revenue.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011