FBR to get new head next year

ISLAMABAD: The government has dropped its idea to make instant changes in the FBR at top levels and now decided to appoint new Chairman of the Board after retirement of incumbent Chairman Nisar Mohammad Khan in coming January 2017, The News has learnt.

The incumbent Chairman FBR belongs to Customs Group and now assurances have been given to Inland Revenue Service (IRS) that their seniors will be considered for the top slot of the FBR after retirement of the existing Chairman in coming few months. 

After retirement of the incumbent Chairman FBR, the senior officers belonging to IRS including Dr Irshad, Khawaja Tanvir and Rehmatullah Wazir who can be considered for the top slot at the FBR. 

Khawaja Tanvir might be one of the strongest candidates among them because of having long service tenure as other officers of IRS will also be retired within the ongoing financial year 2016-17. There is sense prevailed within the FBR that no one from outside belonging to another service should not be appointed in the FBR but the final decision to this effect will be taken by the government.

The tussle between the Customs and IRS is known phenomena within the fold of the FBR and there is realization at the top that it will be right of the IRS to be appointed as next Chairman FBR. 

“No instant change in the FBR is on cards for immediate basis and new Chairman will be sworn in after retirement of incumbent Chairman Nisar Mohammad Khan in coming January 2017,” a top government functionary disclosed to The News here on Monday.

After announcement of the budget 2016-17, some circles made deliberate and hectic efforts to bring in new Chairman FBR by presenting arguments that incumbent Chairman retiring after few months would be considered as lame duck in the tax machinery and tax officials would not take him seriously after expiry of first quarter (July-September) when the FBR would be engaged heavily in materializing highly ambitious tax collection target of Rs3621 billion for the current fiscal year.

Some leaks and others happenings in the FBR on eve of the last budget resulted into loosing grip of top hierarchy in the Board after which discussions were on rife for bringing changes in the FBR on the pretext that the FBR required full year Chairman who could deliver on materializing such mammoth revenue collection target for the current fiscal year.

It was decided that the decision on this important decision would be made after finalizing review talks with the IMF which held at Dubai and concluded last week.  Now Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, after listening viewpoints of all sides, decided that the incumbent chairman would continue at his existing position till time of his retirement and the government would bring in new Chairman in coming January 2017.

The incumbent chairman would continue to assume his existing position for next few months because he had delivered on account of surpassing last financial year’s revenue collection target so the Finance Minister decided that his removal before retirement would send wrong signal to all officers in the bureaucracy that despite delivery on set objectives the government could change any person at anytime. Instead of removing him unceremoniously, it has been decided that the Chairman FBR will continue assuming his existing position till time of his retirement. 

“Now our focus will be achieving our desired tax collection target as uncertainty on account of top man will not help FBR to get the desired results. We have finalised quarterly and monthly targets for all taxes and now strict monitoring will be done for implementing policy of reward and punishment for achieving success and failures so that the FBR could get its desired target of Rs 3621 billion by end of the day,” they concluded.