FTO orders probe into bank account attachments without recovery notice

ISLAMABAD: Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has ordered to conduct an investigation against Secretary Revenue Division and Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue against attachment of bank accounts of a taxpayer by tax officials immediately after the issuance of order by the Commissioner (Appeals).

It is reliably learnt that aggrieved taxpayer has filed complaint before the FTO against illegal attachment of bank accounts and recovery of tax immediately after the issuance of order by the appellate commissioner while no recovery notice has been issued after the passing of order by the Commissioner Appeals.

When contacted tax lawyer Waheed Shahzad Butt who is representing the complainant informed that taxpayers expected enforcement of law and the Constitutional rights and exercise the powers conferred on FBR by the Legislature honestly in the interest of the Pakistan.

The complainant before FTO stated, “strong corroborative evidence in the shape of without lawful jurisdiction recovery notices, more than half dozen persons move at the banks of the complainant and many others acts of commission and ambient circumstance, bluntly proves beyond any shadow of doubt that cited FBR functionaries are involved in fraud/ cheating/ deception to defect the process of legal recoveries with the sole purpose to show fake performance and claim huge illegal rewards out of precious taxpayer’s money.

FBR officers are involved in violation of Sections 138 and 140 in contempt of binding orders passed in Messrs Huawei Technologies (2016 PTD 1799) Fouzia Razzak (2021 PTD 162) Romex International (2022 PTD 760), Sardar Waseem Ilyas Vs. FOP and Pakistan LNG Limited (2022 126 TAX 584). Not issuing statutory mandatory notice after the disposal of order by the CIR-A, recovery move by the FBR is unconstitutional and equivalent to state sponsored robbery rather lawful recoveries. Law is not a closed shop and tax employee is not a King to do whatever suits him: complainant added.

Waheed Butt further added that instant case of tax recovery is a rare example of worst misuse of authority by FBR officers who unlawfully recovered the funds from taxpayer’s banks by damaging the reputation of the taxpayer.

Tax officials misusing slots as CCIR, CIR, DCIR must be removed from the services of Government of Pakistan in the process of re-organisation/ overhauling of FBR as suggested/ordered by the Apex forum/ authority Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024