Attachment of bank accounts: Dar urged to stop punitive action against taxpayers

The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Monday took strong exception to the FBR for attaching the bank accounts of the taxpayers without even giving them any proper opportunity to plead their case. LCCI President Sohail Lashari urged Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to immediately stop the FBR from this practice that is pushing the taxpayers to the wall besides denting the reputation of a business-friendly government.
He said that attachment of the bank accounts should be the last option but the RTOs/LTUs are wasting no time in taking punitive action to meet the revenue targets. He said that the Federal Board of Revenue was constituted to facilitate the businessmen but it is presently doing the other way.
The LCCI President said FBR should focus on controlling under-invoicing and curbing the menace of smuggling besides expanding tax net but it is playing arm-twisting by instituting cases for recovery of outstanding dues and attaching bank accounts. Lashari said that it is unfortunate that the FBR is not releasing what it owes to the business community but conducting raids for the recovery of its outstanding dues just to meet the revenue targets and for the sake of show of performance.
He said that there should be a level-playing field in this regard. He said if a tax defaulter is liable to penalties and attachment of bank accounts, the same should apply to FBR functionaries if they fail to release the valid refunds of the businessmen. Accountability in this regard would force the FBR officials to expedite the payment of refunds. The LCCI President also pointed out that it was very unfortunate that if the FBR initiates a case for recovery against any tax payer, he was not given any opportunity to plead his case as the FBR itself is complainant and judge simultaneously. What justice one can expect of such an institution, he added.