Lawyers to approach SC against FBR for imposing extra taxes on public

RAWALPINDI: The office of Sub-Registrar Rawalpindi Cantonment looked like a battlefield on Thursday where the District Bar Association (DBA) lawyers and FBR officials exchanged harsh words on the tax issue.

The federal government has deployed two FBR assistant directors at the sub-registrar offices to monitoring the land related issues.The FBR has full powers to clear or reject land related documents.

The DBA lawyers have decided to approach the Supreme Court against the deployment of FBR officers for imposing extra taxes on the public. The lawyers and common people strongly protested against this decision and demanded that the government immediately take back this decision failing which they will lock the offices of sub-registrars.

The lawyers and public allege that the government has opened a new gateway of corruption by deploying the FBR officers in the sub-registrar offices. They said the public was already bribing the registry branch staff and now they will also have to bribe the FBR officials.

Additional Commissioner (FBR), Rawalpindi, who was present on the occasion, admitted that the officer concerned imposed 6 percent tax on a filer rather 3 percent. “I will discuss it with the higher officials to resolve this issue,” she claimed.

She reacted strongly to the rough attitude of the lawyers and public and said nobody should pressurized them through their attitude. Senior lawyers strongly reacted to imposing extra taxes on the innocent public. They warned that if the FBR not resolve the tax issues of public, they will not allow the sub-registrars to enter their offices.