Rs2,333 refund: President apologises to elderly man over unjust treatment by FBR
Abdul Hamid Khan, 82, claimed a refund of Rs2,333 on his income tax return but FBR officer rejected it.
ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has apologised to an 82-year-old taxpayer over unjust administrative treatment by a Federal Board of Revenue official over a paltry sum of Rs2,333 and directed the FBR chairman to take action.
The president has apologised to a senior citizen named Abdul Hamid Khan, 82, over unjust administrative treatment by FBR after he had claimed a refund of Rs2,333 on his income tax return for the year 2020 and submitted requisite documents.
President Alvi said, “Our heads should hang in shame for this. I would like to apologize to the senior citizen, Mr. Abdul Hamid Khan for the inconvenience caused to him by FBR. Punitive action must be taken along the entire line of decision-makers in this case and Chairman FBR should ensure that those responsible, in particular, and others, in general, go through courses to teach them priorities and courtesies.”
President Dr Arif Alvi directed the FBR chairman to look into the irresponsible practices and take action against the involved officials.
Khan had also e-filed refund application, followed by representation to the FBR chairman. A statement issued by the president’s Twitter handle said that the FBR’s unit officer rejected his refund claim.
Our heads should hang in shame for this. I would like to apologize to the senior citizen, Mr. Abdul Hamid Khan for the inconvenience caused to him by FBR
The complainant then took up the matter with the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) to seek redressal of his complaint.
The Federal Tax Ombudsman investigated the matter and ordered FBR to revisit the impugned order and pass a fresh order. It further ordered to identify and initiate disciplinary proceedings against the involved official.
Consequently, FBR filed a representation with the President against the original order of the Federal Tax Ombudsman. President Dr Arif Alvi rejected the representation of FBR.
He said that the complainant had admittedly furnished copies of advance tax as per certificates collected by telephone authorities.
The President stated that the FBR official had wasted the time of his department, the Tax Mohtasib and the President of Pakistan over a paltry sum of Rs 2,333 and the matter had lingered for over a year. pic.twitter.com/sONFW6E83X
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) January 16, 2022
The president, terming it as an act of maladministration on the officer’s part, said that in case the unit officer was not satisfied with the copies of certificates, he could have got the same verified himself through the online system.
President Alvi stated that the FBR official had wasted the time of his department, the tax mohtasib and the President of Pakistan over a paltry sum of Rs 2,333 and the matter had lingered for over a year.
Apologising to the senior citizen Abdul Hamid Khan, the president said that our heads should hang in shame for the inconvenience caused by FBR to the senior citizen.
He directed FBR to take punitive action against the entire chain of decision-makers involved in the case.
