FBR non-cadre staffs stage nationwide protests against ‘unequal treatment’

ISLAMABAD: Non-cadre employees of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Monday staged protests across the country, condemning what they described as discrimination and unequal treatment regarding salary, perks, and privileges.

The protests took place in major cities, including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar.

Junior employees gathered outside FBR offices, holding placards and chanting slogans, demanding equal treatment, transparency, and improved working conditions.

At the heart of the protest lies the controversial Rs8 billion incentive package recently approved by the government for senior officers (BPS-17 to BPS-22).

Under the package, senior officers are eligible to receive up to four basic salaries as a performance bonus. In addition, a select group of 30 officers appointed to the newly established Reform Delivery Unit will also receive a special monthly allowance of Rs200,000.

The junior FBR employees, most of whom have been serving in the field under strained conditions, claim they have been completely left out of the reforms.

Also read: PM unveils new evaluation system for FBR officers, urges exit from IMF

Representatives of the junior staff said that over 80 per cent of them have been working with low pay, negligible benefits, and limited facilities. “We are the backbone of the department, yet we’re treated as disposable,” said a field officer who took part in the protest in Islamabad. “While senior officers sit in air-conditioned offices drawing multiple allowances, we are out in remote areas without housing, without transport—and without respect.”

This is not the first time concerns have been raised over FBR’s reform efforts.

The FBR transformation plan, touted as a major step toward modernising the tax machinery, has drawn criticism for being top-heavy and ineffective.

Protesters argued that not only has the plan failed to bring about any real structural improvement, but it has also exacerbated inequalities within the department by rewarding a “small and elite tier.”

A source in the Finance Division told HUM News English that the special perks for senior FBR officers were performance-linked and did not fall under the scope of the Disparity Reduction Allowance (DRA), which is reserved for other segments of the civil service. The same benefits, the source insisted, could not be extended to FBR employees from grade-1 to grade-16.

For many junior FBR staffers, the protest was not just about bonuses—it was about recognition, dignity, and fairness in an institution they say no longer reflects the values of public service.

“Whether these demonstrations will lead to policy reversals or negotiations remains to be seen, but for now, the message from the streets is clear: the junior ranks are no longer willing to stay silent,” said one of the protesters.

Responding to a question, one of the protest organisers said, “If the FBR administration suspends or issues a show-cause notice to anyone, we will stand with them at all costs.” He added that the protest would continue on Tuesday (April 22).