KARACHI: In a bid to accelerate the rate of tax recovery, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)’s wing Inland Revenue Service (IRS) has demanded 184 vehicles, sources informed Custom News.
On Friday, in a meeting with Standing Committee of National Assembly on Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Privatization at Regional Tax Office (RTO) building, the IRS officers while presenting their recommendation to the lawmakers said that the FBR’s wing IRS Karachi is facing several challenges which are affecting the performance of the all regional units of IRS.
They informed the committee that IRS Karachi is having shortage of around 184 vehicles.
The IRS representatives, in a meeting with national Standing Committee, recommends that the shortage of vehicles could be fulfilled by allowing the officers to have access to the unclaimed vehicles which are standing at Custom House and the Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation (I&I), sources added.
An official informed the parliamentarians that the IRS Chief Commissioners and as many Deputy Commissioners are without official vehicles which are seriously denting the authority’s performance while the IRS is not allowed to buy even a single motorcycle due to ban on purchasing new material in FBR.
In a response to IRS’s demands, Qaiser Ahmad Sheikh, Chairman Standing Committee of National Assembly on Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Privatization said that the committee will take the issues seriously however the revenue growth is not as much promising still the IRS should more focus on the tax recovery so that the results can be oriented and the demands of the IRS could be fulfilled.
The other member of Standing Committee, a sitting Member of National Assembly (MNA) of Pakistan Muslim League (N), Mian Abdul Mannan said that the shortage of vehicles at IRS Karachi may be covered by following the practice at Faisalabad RTO where the officers have access to unclaimed vehicles.
According to the details, LTU Karachi is facing shortage of 35 vehicles as LTU Karachi is sanctioned to have 50 vehicles but currently only 15 vehicles are operational. Recently inaugurated LTU-II is required 38 vehicles while RTO building is sanctioned to have 38 vehicles, but only 7 vehicles are operational therefore, 31 more vehicles are required at RTO.
Similarly, RTO-II is facing shortage of 10 vehicles because the unit currently do not have single vehicle.
RTO-III is sanctioned to have 73 vehicles in which only 18 vehicles are operational thus the RTO-III is required 55 more vehicles making the total requirement of IRS Karachi to 184 vehicles.