Filing of returns must for FBR officials

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has asked the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to make income tax return filing mandatory for officials of the board. The direction came at a time, when the tax directory revealed that 1,200 FBR officials out of 1,743 did not file their returns for the tax year 2013. Dar directed FBR to direct the defaulting tax officers to file their returns by June 10 subject to existing rules. A similar concession of waiving penalty for not filing tax returns within the due time was given to parliamentarians who did not file their returns. “Punitive action will be taken against those who fail to comply with the direction and their performance allowance shall be stopped,” said an official announcement of the FBR. Dar said the government would not allow evasion of tax declaration by government officials, who ought to set an example for ordinary citizens. Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2014