FBR chief seeks IRS, Customs officers' asset details in bid to increase accountability

The newly appointed chairman of Pakistan's Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has sought asset details of officers of the Inland Revenue Service (IRS) and Customs, sources told Nukta on Wednesday.

This move reflects a significant push toward enhancing transparency and accountability within the FBR.

The tax body has over 20,000 employees, of which 1,275 work in the IRS and around 600 work in Customs.

The sources claimed that IRS and Customs' officers already submit details of their assets along with their income tax returns every year. However, officers of other civil services cadres rarely file tax returns or provide details of their assets, which raise questions of accountability and integrity, they alleged.

The sources further said that FBR will notify transfer or posting of officers from both cadres after the asset reports are received.

On the other hand, the FBR has not conducted audits of civil servants' assets for the last five years citing capacity issues.

It merits mention here that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also been demanding that Pakistan make details of civil servants' assets public.