KARACHI: The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) in its pre-budget proposals, has urged the government to reactivate the Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee (ADRC) and provide the taxpayers an easy and efficient mechanism for resolution of tax related disputes, outside the court of law and liquidate huge amounts of tax arrears. The FPCCI Pre-Budget proposals are being prepared by the FPCCI Advisory Council under the Chairmanship of FPCCI’s Vice President Syed Mazhar Ali Nasir.
The proposals argued that a huge amount of tax arrears is lying pending for liquidation and payment to both the stakeholders, taxpayers and FBR, due to inordinate delays in completion of litigation process. It added that active and prominent members should be selected from the legal fraternity, public, FBR, and private sectors (FPCCI and Chambers) and their proper rules must be framed for the formation of the committee, scope of work, conduction of ADRC proceedings, stay of matter/demand, disposal of application by the ADRC Committee, retention of records, remuneration for members of ADRC etc.
The FPCCI elaborated that being an independent, unbiased and trustworthy body because of the nature of its composition (FBR officials and other experts from public and private sectors) ADRC will have a very strong element of credibility and hoped that the efficient use of ADRC will have a solitary effect on generation of more taxes to the government exchequer, quick disposal of longstanding pending cases in court of law, and reductions in litigation, as well as court cases.
