ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Thursday asked the Revenue Division secretary as well as the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to submit details regarding the alleged corruption of Rs1 trillion per annum in the revenue board.
According to documents, the Senate on Thursday wrote a letter to Revenue Division Secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch as well as FBR Chairperson Nausheen Javaid Amjad with regard to “Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi’s budget speech in which he had urged the chairman to refer FBR’s alleged corruption case to the National Accountability Bureau”.
During the Senate’s budget debate on Monday, Senator Tangi had alleged that the FBR officials were embezzling Rs1,000 billion per annum, asserting that the incompetence of FBR officers was a heavy burden on the national exchequer.
He recalled that members from both opposition and treasury benches have in the past voiced their concerns on the FBR’s performance and therefore, the matter “should not be overlooked, rather it should be examined properly in order to save the nation from such huge losses”.
He concluded his speech by urging the Senate chairman to refer the case to NAB so that thorough inquiry into the matter could be conducted and the culprits were held accountable.
After considering the matter, the Senate chairman was of the view that before taking any decision on referring the matter to NAB or otherwise, basic information/views/comments may be sought from the Revenue Division and FBR.
“It is requested that views/comment on the issue may be furnished to this office within a week’s time for consideration of the Senate chairman,” he stated.
The FBR chairperson remained unavailable for comments.
