Shehbaz rewards FBR officer for unearthing billions of rupees fraud

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Thursday announced Rs5 million award and gave away a commendatory shield to an FBR officer who identified a sales tax fraud of trillions of rupees. Talking to Ijaz Hussain at the PM House, the prime minister appreciated his dutifulness and honesty.

The act of the FBR officer is the outcome of prime minister’s ongoing drive for FBR reforms and curbing tax-evasion, the PM Office said in a press release.

The prime minister said there was no dearth of dutiful and competent officers but they needed acknowledgement. Expressing satisfaction over the positive outcomes of FBR reforms, Shehbaz called for tightening the noose around tax-evaders and their facilitators and strictly punishing them.

He instructed the FBR to thoroughly investigate the identified tax fraud and take the perpetrators to task. The premier was told that the credentials of an 80-year-old woman were used for the sales tax fraud, which was pointed out by Ijaz Hussain on March 4, this year.

Under the sales tax fraud, Rs370 million was also transferred initially which was being recovered as the main culprit had already been arrested.

Shehbaz directed that the FBR officers who facilitated the tax fraud should be identified and punished. He said the government was striving to widen the tax base and measures like the FBR reforms and digitization would also help prevent such offences.

Meanwhile, chairing a meeting here to review good governance and public procurements, Shehbaz directed the relevant authorities to ensure third party validation, including quality insurance, in all the government procurements. He also directed that reforms be undertaken in Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and purge it of any type of influence.

“Procurement of services and purchasing in all government institutions in a transparent way is the top priority of the government,” he said, adding that ensuring transparency in the government procurement institutions would help build foreign investors’ confidence in Pakistan.

The prime minister directed the formation of a committee, separate from the procurement agency, to address the complaints related to the procurement process.

The prime minister instructed all government departments to use e-Procurement (e-PADS) besides establishing special procurement cells for purchasing and acquiring services. The prime minister was informed that the review of PPRA Ordinance and related rules and regulations had been completed and amendments would soon be presented to the federal cabinet for approval.