FBR field formation officials postpone strike against restructuring

ISLAMABAD: The field formations officials of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) have deferred a plan to hold a strike tomorrow against the restructuring of the tax department.

Sources said that the timely intervention of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Member Inland Revenue (Operations), Mir Badshah Khan Wazir, has resulted in the suspension of the strike by field formations against the FBR’s restructuring.

During an online address to the officials of field formations on Wednesday, Mir Badshah Khan Wazir was able to convince the young officials to refrain from such activities in the field formations. He assured the officers that they would be taken into confidence on the ongoing reforms and restructuring, emphasizing that such activities give a bad impression and damage the credibility of FBR’s tax officials.

When asked about the strike calls from FBR’s field formations against the ongoing restructuring, FBR Member Inland Revenue (Operations) Mir Badshah Khan Wazir, after the meeting of the Senate Finance Committee, stated that there is no strike at any FBR field formations. He added that rumors in this regard are baseless.

Mir Badshah Khan Wazir was responding to the media at the conclusion of the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance at the Parliament House on Wednesday.

According to a tweet from the FBR, the FBR rebuts baseless news circulating in sections of the media, claiming that IRS officers will hold a protest tomorrow by wearing black ribbons and boycotting office work. The tweet clarified that no such protest is taking place, and FBR offices will continue to function as per routine.

Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Amjad Zubair Tiwana, categorically stated that the FBR has not postponed the exercise of blocking mobile SIM cards/mobile phones and disconnecting electricity/gas connections of non-filers.

At the conclusion of the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance at the Parliament House on Wednesday, tax authorities informed the media that the exercise has not been delayed until March 2024 and will continue during the current month.

The FBR has issued final notices to millions of non-filers, including those who are unregistered with the tax department or have not filed their due returns during the last few years.