Islamabad (Mudassar Iqbal) – The Oath-Taking Ceremony of the Management Board of the Inland Revenue Service Officers Association (IRSOA) took place on August 2, 2024, at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) headquarters. The Chairman of FBR, Malik Amjed Zubair Tiwana, administered the oath to the newly elected office bearers.
In his address, the President of IRSOA, Waseem Hayat Bajwa, highlighted the key challenges faced by IRS officers, including inadequate human resources, limited outreach, slow career progression, and low pay scales. He presented recommendations to address these issues, such as filling vacancies, recruiting new inspectors, establishing district tax offices, upgrading posts, and providing financial autonomy to FBR.
Member PR, Mr. Bakhtiar Muhammad, extended his best wishes to IRSOA and pledged support to coordinate efforts for the betterment of the service. The ceremony marked a significant step towards collaboration between FBR and IRSOA to enhance tax collection and officer welfare.
He mentioned that only 0.43% of revenue is being spent on FBR which is the lowest in the world. As per international best practices, the expenditure on tax authority ranges from 1.5% to 2.5% of revenue. Even the Punjab Revenue Authority is getting 2% of revenue targets.
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Financial autonomy of FBR with single line budget up to 1.5% of revenue target is the most viable solution of this problem which will provide FBR the fiscal space to improve its working conditions and streamline its operations.
At the end, Member PR, Mr. Bakhtiar Muhammad conveyed best wishes for IRSOA to play positive role in promoting the welfare of IRS officers and pledged support to make best possible efforts for the betterment of service in coordination with IRSOA.
