The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to penalize the tax officials putting external pressures on the top FBR management for their postings, transfers, deputations, or other service matters.
In this connection, the FBR has issued a stern warning to all its officials on Friday.
In October 2020, the board had expressed serious concerns over the exertion of political pressure by the officers of Inland Revenue Service (IRS) and Pakistan Customs Service (PSC) in the FBR administrative matters, including transfers and postings. Nonetheless, the political pressure on the FBR management has been continuing. Now FBR has issued another warning with a decision to take strict action against the officials involved in the malpractice.
According to the memorandum, the FBR has conveyed its serious concerns to ‘certain officers’ who in total disregard to Rule 19 & 29 of Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964 resort to exerting political/external pressures on the top management in connection with their postings/transfers/deputations and other service matters etcetera.
The FBR warned that the said act is a “misconduct” under the Government Servant (Conduct) Rules, 1964 read with Government Rule 2(1)(k) of Civil Servants (E&D) Rules, 2020 (unbecoming of officers professional conduct) and attracts disciplinary action under the relevant rules.
Moreover, it is further reiterated that under rule 5(e) of the Directory Retirement Rules, 2020, this act is unbecoming of a Civil Servant and can be one of the grounds for directory retirement of Civil Servants. In future all such cases shall be placed before the DRB/DRC for consideration, according to FRB.
“All officers of FBR are hereby warned in their own interest to shun this attitude. All such officers are immediately marked and necessary observations are placed in their personal dossiers for cognizance at a later time. In this respect, all field heads are requested to disseminate this information with the needed seriousness to all officers under their command,” FBR added.
