Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Abdul Basit revealed this at a press conference here on Friday and claimed that the decision was taken on the Lahore Chamber's demand. The Chamber in its meeting with the Senate Standing Committee in Islamabad underlined the issues of misuse of discretionary powers of the Inland Revenue Officers under section 38A, 38B, 40A, 40B, 176 & 177 and raids on business premises, he said.
The Senate Committee's Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla took a prompt action and decided/recommended that in future no raid would be conducted by the FBR officials without the permission of the Chairman FBR or a Member concerned at any industry, factory or shop holders, who are taxpayers/filers, he added. Under the notification, the businessmen can complain to Chairman FBR, under intimation to the Senate Committee on Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Privatization, along with all the evidences in case of raid/misuse of discretionary powers by the FBR officers, he added.
Abdul Basit said the issue of misuse of discretionary powers by the FBR staff and raids of business premises was badly affecting the business environment as FBR officers were used to enter into the premises of tax filers along with the large number of security personnel for threatening and harassing them without the permission of Chairman of FBR or Member concerned.
"Notification from the Senate Standing Committee is the moral victory of the business community acknowledgement of its stance by the higher authorities", he said. The issues of attachment of business bank accounts, re-audit of the firms and Punjab Infrastructure Development Cess would be targeted in the next phase. The attachment of bank accounts should be the last option but the RTOs/LTUs are wasting no time in taking punitive action to meet the revenue targets. There should be no re-audit of those firm for at least five years which have already been audited, he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017