ISLAMABAD: Since the current Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chief is scheduled to retire on August 15, the federal government has intensified its search for a replacement. Dawn discovered this on Monday.
Due to the fact that FBR chairman Amjed Zubair Tiwana sought treatment six months prior to becoming eligible for retirement, the government was forced to search for a new tax czar.
With assistance from intelligence services and the current FBR chairman, a list of Internal Revenue Service and Customs officials with a reputation for “unblemished integrity” has been compiled.
Senior FBR officials believe that any delay in Mr. Tiwana’s appointment would cause uncertainty in the tax body, which is already faced with the difficult task of collecting 41% more revenue, or Rs12.9 trillion, in the current fiscal year compared to FY24. For this reason, the government is moving quickly to find Mr. Tiwana’s replacement.
A plan to appoint a PAS officer to a high position
The sources claim that in order to assemble a strong team capable of fulfilling the revenue collection target for FY25, the government will evaluate the officials on the list for the top position in addition to taking into account a number of other variables, such as their leadership caliber.
Additionally, the government has established a precise standard for the incoming chairman to follow while assembling a group to digitally document the economy.
The government may assign the duties to a senior official pro tem until the appointment if it is unable to designate the next FBR chief in time.
Additionally, it’s possible that Mr. Tiwana will be requested to remain when his appeal for early retirement is denied.
Mr. Tiwana is an officer in Grade 21, and his promotion has been delayed since the government hasn’t convened the high-power committee responsible for promoting officials to the next grade in the last twelve months.
The High-Powered Selection Board meeting was delayed beyond belief, forcing some bureaucrats who were eligible for promotion to remain in their current positions.
Three officers from the Customs Group (CG) and two from the Inland Revenue Service (IRS) are reportedly being considered for the position.
An official from the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) is also being proposed to be the head of the FBR.
The three pillars of the bureaucratic structure are the IRS, CG, and PAS.
The other two cadres, however, won’t be happy about the nomination of a PAS officer because they have already reacted angrily to similar selections in the past.
