ECP bars caretakers to make reforms in FBR

Islamabad: The caretaker federal government has been barred from carrying out structural reforms in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and directed to leave the matter to the upcoming elected government by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

According to the details,in a meeting chaired by Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar the cabinet approved the FBR restructuring and digitization on a summary forwarded by the Revenue Division. Then the cabinet approved in principle to forward the revamp plan to the upcoming government.

The caretaker premier also made all-out efforts to convince the cabinet members as well as other stakeholders on the reform plan but remained unable to develop consensus.

Ultimately, the summary was approved in principle but for all practical purposes, the cabinet granted its nod to the third point of official minutes of the last cabinet meeting, suggesting that its implementation and legislation be left to the next government.

After the ECP directive, the Ministry of Finance preferred not to issue any official statement till the filing of this report. 

It is to be noted that a letter was written by ECP Secretary Dr Syed Asif Hussain to caretaker prime minister’s secretary Captain (retired) Muhammad Khurram Agha. 

The letter referred to the constitutional provisions and relevant laws, including the Elections Act 2017. However, it concludes that the planned FBR overhaul falls under the above statutory provisions and constitutes a major policy decision, which is the prerogative of the elected government.