KARACHI: The Federal Cabinet on Saturday has approved the FBR’s plan for restructuring and digitization. The Minister for Finance and Revenue has formed the Implementation and Asset Distribution Committee (I&ADC) to carry out the necessary steps for the FBR’s transformation. The committee members are:
- Minister for Finance and Revenue (Chairperson)
- Secretary, Law and Justice (Member)
- Musharraf R. Cyan (Member)
- Manzoor Ahmed (Member)
- Syed Nadeem Rizvi, Member Administration (Member)
- Mr Mukarram Jah Ansari, Member, (Legal & Accounting) (Member)
- Afaq Ahmad Qureshi (Member, IR-Policy) (Member)
- Sajid Mehmood Qazi, Additional Secretary, Revenue Division (Member/Secretary)
The Government of Pakistan has decided to restructure its tax administration by creating two separate organizations for Inland Revenue and Customs, and establishing an oversight board for each. The decision was taken by the Federal Cabinet on the recommendation of the Strategic Implementation and Facilitation Committee (SIFC), which was formed to oversee the implementation of the Tax Reforms Commission’s report.
To ensure a smooth and timely transition, the Government has also constituted an Implementation and Asset Distribution Committee (I&ADC), which will be responsible for drafting the necessary legal and regulatory framework, distributing the human and financial resources, and obtaining the required approvals from the Government and other authorities.
The I&ADC will have two sub-committees: the Legal Subcommittee and the Finance and Administration Subcommittee. The Legal Subcommittee will draft the required legislative instruments, amendments in fiscal laws, and all relevant rules, regulations, notifications, and orders. The Finance and Administration Subcommittee will identify and distribute the existing financial resources, assets, and human resources among the Revenue Division, the successor organizations of Inland Revenue and Customs, and related offices.
The I&ADC will work within prescribed timelines and report to the SIFC and the Government on the progress of the transition plan. The I&ADC will also perform any other functions as assigned by the Government, the SIFC, or any other competent authority to implement the decision of the Federal Cabinet.
The Government hopes that the reform will enhance the operational autonomy and accountability of the tax administrations, separate the tax policy from the tax administration, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the tax collection system.
The above Committee and Sub-committees may co-opt more members (officers, legal and domain experts) with the prior approval of the Chairperson of the I&ADC.
The I&ADC or its subcommittees shall perform their functions according to the timelines mentioned in the Implementation Plan while ensuring continuity of operations, smooth revenue collection without any disruption for the remainder of the fiscal year, and causing minimal dislocation of officers & offices in the transition process.
FBR shall be the administrative secretariat of the I&ADC and its subcommittees. Member Admin FBR shall provide requisite secretarial support, relevant information, and official record to the I&ADC and its subcommittees, as required by them.
The Minister of Finance and Revenue may change the composition of the I&ADC or any of its subcommittees as deemed appropriate.
The Finance Minister shall be the final authority in relation to the functioning, jurisdiction or resolution of disputes arising out of the work of the I&ADC or any of its subcommittees.