ISLAMABAD: The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has called the Revenue Division (RD) secretary, the Member (IR) Operations, and a tax employee, Naveed Mukhtar, to appear tomorrow (February 2nd, 2021) with complete record as well as witnesses.
Details of the case revealed that a complaint was submitted by an individual, Khurram Shahzad that a tax employee denied access to notices issued/served before framing assessment, and the said tax employee was allegedly involved in malpractices and maltreating the taxpayer, while framing assessments without serving statutory notices under the law.
The FTO had ordered the advisor incharge to conduct an investigation into the said complaint.
The officials, the Revenue Division secretary, the Member (IR) Operations, and the tax employee have been required to appear personally or through duly-appointed attorney or departmental representative not below the rank of BS-18/19 with all the records, and any witnesses they may wish to produce and examine.
The FTO also asked the FBR to furnish parawise comments/reply before February 2nd, 2021.
Tax lawyer Waheed Shahzad Butt, who is representing the complainant, told this correspondent that the instant case is a rare example of “severe mal-administration of justice and extreme administrative excesses”.
Prima facie cheating with taxpayers/FBR as a refusal to provide copies of statutory notices and evidence of service of notices is a blatant violation of constitutional rights.
Butt further added that earlier a landmark order issued by the FTO against the mal-treatment by a tax employee was also confirmed by the president of Pakistan. “On the other hand, the complainant also filed a contempt proceeding before the FTO against Mr Naveed Mukhtar, DCIR (Audit-I)”.
“The Hon’ble Federal Tax Ombudsman has considered your reply and by taking a lenient view, has warned you to remain careful in future”.
The upshot of the above discussion is that the agency could not make out plausible ground(s) for interference with the impugned decision of the learned FTO and the same is hereby affirmed: the president had ordered.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021