August 10, 2024 (MLN): The appointment of Rashid Mahmood as the new chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has sparked controversy, as dozens of senior FBR officers were overlooked for the position.
As per sources, 24 officers in the field and 6 at headquarters are senior to the newly appointed chairman.
This shows that there is no seniority mechanism for the appointment of FBR Chairman, unlike other important institutions.
Sources close to the matter further shared that Members of Customs Operations are on long leave and senior officers are also absent, reflecting inefficiency in the department.
It is worth noting that prior to Amjad Zubair Tawana, Asim Ahmed and Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmed were also appointed over more senior officers.
This raises a major question of how will the government be able to meet its tax target which stands at a whopping Rs12.31 trillion for the next 11 months.
As if the revenue target falls short by even a month or two, it will be challenging to achieve the overall goal.
Moreover, the new chairman will face several significant challenges, including meeting ambitious revenue collection targets and dealing with system digitization.
He would need to engage with global institutions, introduce initiatives to widen the tax net, and bring more businessmen into the system—a challenging situation.
“FBR board and team likely to undergo changes on the appointment of the new chairman”, said sources.
