|
Secretary General, Revenue Division & Chairman, Federal Board of Revenue, Mr. M. Abdullah Yusuf has said that the total involvement and commitment of FBR employees were required to execute the on-going Tax Administration Reforms Programme (TARP) and Tax Policy Programme with a complete success.
He was addressing at the first-ever "Employees Workshop" arranged by the Board here today. All officers/officials of FBR Headquarters attended the Workshop. Similar employees workshops are also planned at Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
Chairman said that all officers/officials have to make determined efforts to make FBR an institution of international standard that could facilitate the taxpayers and deliver to the needs of the Government. Besides facilitation and education of taxpayers, the major focus of the programme was on training & re-training of the employees, end-to-end solution of the problems through automation and infrastructural development. A considerable progress has already been made in this regard, Mr. Yusuf said and added, we have to make the things easy for the taxpayers and improve the efficiency, capability and working environment of our employees to enable them to give better results. He said that the infrastructural facilities and working environment provided at Regional Tax Offices (RTOs) were comparable to any of the tax institution in the developed countries. To incentives the FBR employees, Government has increased their wages. Now, the concept of living wages exists in FBR. But, the Chairman said, we now have to prove and justify this special treatment through our efficiency, performance and results.
Chairman informed that out of 25,000 employees of FBR and its field offices, 16,500 have already been granted special pay position (double salary). The Chairman also underlined various on-going projects of infrastructural development which include building of an additional block of FBR with a total cost of Rs. 230 million.
The Chairman apprised that FBR is in the process of acquiring a piece of land measures 200/300 areas for employees residential accommodation to alleviate their housing problems.
On establishment of FBR Foundation, Mr. Abdullah Yusuf said that the primary objective of this Foundation was the welfare of employees and to look-after their housing, educational and health needs. He said, the Foundation will be fully operative by the end of the current calendar year. He termed the setting up of Foundation as a major achievement. He also mentioned various other steps taken by the Board for the welfare of its employees and streamling their office duties.
Speaking on the prevailing security environment, the Secretary General told that the security of the employees and the office buildings was being ensured through a system. For disposal of disciplinary cases, a Committee has been constituted which has been assigned the task to settle all the cases as early as possible.
Talking about the transformation of CBR into FBR, the Chairman said that it was not simply change of the nomenclature but much more than that. "It now gives us much greater autonomy which would help us to grow at a faster pace and become an institution capable to deliver as a prime revenue generating agency of the country", he added. He said, the autonomy which FBR enjoys today was never available before in the history of the Board.
Regarding his decision to set up Complaint/Suggestion Cell, the Chairman said the objective of its establishment was to personally have knowledge of the problems of the employees. Any aggrieved staff member of FBR may avail this facility, the Chairman said. He assured the employees that all of their genuine problems will be addressed.
Later, an open question-answer session was held in which the employees of FBR apprised the Chairman of their service/promotional issues, distribution of official work and the training needs.
|
