BoR given 15 days to settle all audit paras

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The Board of Revenue (BoR) has failed to satisfy the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) about the amount of Rs 316.227 million, collected in terms of taxes by Mukhtiarkars and Tapedars, but not submitted in the exchequer of Sindh government.

The issue was discussed during a meeting of PAC here on Wednesday. The meeting was chaired by Sardar Jam Tamachi Unarr and attended by members of the committee including Ghulam Mujadid Isran, Shama Arif Mithani, Amir Moin Pirzada, Shoaib Ibrahim and Bachal Shah Jilani.

A senior member of BoR, Shahzar Samoon attended the meeting along with Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of almost all districts and other officials of the revenue department to explain the board's position over various paras of audit. The audit officials were also present in the meeting.

The PAC reviewed 27 paras of the audit of financial years 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08, but the revenue officials could not give a satisfactory explanation about any of the paras.

According to the audit report available with Business Recorder, the revenue officials have done embezzlement of Rs 316.227 million in the head of collection of various taxes. It was observed that tax collected by the concerned Mukhtiarkars and Tapedars has not been submitted in the account of Sindh government.

One of the committee members, Mujadid Isran asked the BoR officials to deduct the non-deposited tax amount from the salaries of the responsible Mukhtiarkars and Tapedars. This, he added would ensure transparency in future.

Samoon issued directives to the DCs to follow the order of Isran and submit a report as soon as possible.

The audit report suggests that the revenue officers of 17 districts including Ghotki, Jamshoro, Khairpur Mir, Tando Mohammad Khan, Sanghar, Shikarpur, Naushehroferoze, Jacobabad, Sukkur, Dadu, Benazirabad, Jacobabad, Kashmore-Kandhkot, Umerkot and Tharparkar have not shown the recovery of land tax of more than Rs 50 million in FY 2006-07. Besides, in the same period, the officers of 11 districts including Khairpur Mir, Sanghar, Shikarpur, Naushehroferoze, Jacobabad, Sukkur, Dadu, Benazirabad, Jacobabad, Kashmore-Kandhkot, Umerkot and Hyderabad have not shown the recovery of Abiana (tax) of Rs 31.327 million.

In FY 2007-08, the revenue officers of 10 districts including Badin, Khairpur Mir, Naushehroferoze, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Benazirbad, Shikarpur, Tandoallahyar, Sanghar and Larkana have not shown the recovery of Abiana (tax) of Rs 36.832 million, the report maintains.

The report further suggests that in the office of Additional Relief Commissioner Sindh, an amount of Rs 822.697 million was remitted from PLA to various departments/agencies during the years 2005-06 and 2006-07 for rain/flood relief works. Out of which, adjustment of the funds amounting to Rs 132.141 million was submitted to additional Relief Commissioner by the departments/agencies concerned. Thus, an amount of Rs 690.556 million remained un-adjusted.

During the meeting, some officials were of the view that sub-registrars of the revenue department were not following the orders of their seniors especially in the matters of audit due to high political backing. PAC member Moin Pirzada said that if all taxes collected by BoR were computerised than the sub-registrars would become powerless automatically.

The meeting gave 15 days to the officials of BoR for settlement of all paras and directed them to submit a report to the committee.