Despite notable initiatives: Number of complaints against FBR continues to soar: FTO

ISLAMABAD: Federal Tax Ombudsman, Dr. Asif Mahmood Jah has not found any decrease in number of complaints of maladministration committed by tax officials of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) against taxpayers despite reforms, transformation, automation and digitization in the FBR processes.

Talking to Business Recorder, the FTO stated several notable initiatives were introduced in 2024 to enhance the efficiency, accessibility and public service delivery of the Federal Tax Ombudsman’s institution. Overall there is no change in the mindset of tax officials and number of complaints against the FBR continued to increase during the last four years.

During 2021-25, the FTO office decided 53,887 complaints of taxpayers as compared to 54,731 complaints filed during this period. In 2024, refunds/rebates of Rs 22.793 billion were paid to the exporters in 4066 following intervention of the FTO office.

FBR fails to defend case before FTO

Through persistent efforts, the FTO office has been transformed into a new organization to provide free of cost justice of the taxpayers, Dr Jah said.

He admitted that the vehicles confiscated by the customs department are misused by customs officials in the field formations.

The FTO has taken special steps for the facilitation for Overseas Pakistanis. Honorary Advisors were appointed abroad to assist expatriates, while a dedicated Overseas Pakistanis Grievances Redressal Cell (OPGRC) was established at the Secretariat to address their federal tax complaints. The Honorary Advisors were appointed in the USA, Canada, Sweden, UAE, Hong Kong, and the Philippines to assist overseas Pakistanis.

The FTO office has upgraded Complaint Management Information System (CMIS). The CMIS was comprehensively modernized, introducing multiple features to automate and streamline the workflow of the FTO Office.

Through CMIS, cause lists for hearings are now digitally generated and made accessible to both complainants and the concerned departments, allowing better preparation for cases.

He said that the taxpayers can now file review petitions entirely online through the updated system.

In collaboration with the FBR, a dedicated help desk was set up at the FTO Headquarters, Islamabad, to guide taxpayers facing challenges in filing tax returns.

Advisors of the FTO Secretariat were instructed to promptly resolve immediate-nature cases under Section 33 of the FTO Ordinance, sometimes within hours or a single day.

The Office of the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has undertaken a number of significant initiatives during the past three years to strengthen institutional capacity, improve taxpayer facilitation, and enhance organizational efficiency, he said.

He informed that a mobile app was launched enabling taxpayers to conveniently lodge complaints and track their status through smartphones and other smart devices.

The FTO stated that eight new regional offices were established at Sialkot, Sargodha, Abbottabad, Sukkur, Hyderabad, and Mianwali, significantly enhancing outreach and facilitation.

The FTO added that greater emphasis has been placed on resolving complaints through informal means under Section 33 of the FTO Ordinance. This mechanism allows urgent matters to be decided promptly—sometimes within hours or even through a single phone call Advisory Committees of the FTO were reconstituted and reactivated to provide meaningful suggestions and recommendations for enhancing institutional performance, the FTO added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025