ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has failed to defend a case before Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) which has burdened taxpayers with heavy cost for forcefully implementing online integrated businesses and configure retail outlets with FBR’s e-computerized system.
The FTO Office will also investigate alleged violations of privacy available to the 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 a Lahore based taxpayer through advocate Waheed Shahbaz Butt. As per record comments have not been filed by the stakeholders against the allegations contained in the complaint, despite repeated reminders.
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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 Shahbaz Butt 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 neighboring 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 favoritism and nepotism on the part of FBR tax employees, before proceedings further in the instant case.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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