The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) announced an investigation into an incident where its officers engaged in a fist fight over a share in a tax refund from a company.
The News reported that Chief Commissioner of Corporate Tax Office Lahore Abid Bodla will lead the fact-finding inquiry. The officers allegedly involved have been removed from their posts.
According to the report, the dispute centers around a tax refund of Rs550 million ordered for an air conditioning manufacturing company. A 10% “cut” of Rs55 million was agreed upon. A disagreement arose when an officer from an unrelated FBR field formation, who was negotiating the deal, sought a share in the “cut”.
The tax officer authorized to issue the refund learned that a cheque for Rs55 million had been issued, with various involved parties expecting a share based on their role and rank.
However, complications arose when the deal’s facilitator received the “cut” in cash and distributed it among his superiors, excluding the officer who sanctioned the refund.
The officer who authorized the refund was informed that the cheque had bounced, and the amount would be paid in cash. Upon learning that the “cut” had been released in cash, the officer summoned the enabling officers, who were junior in rank but from a different formation. A confrontation ensued, escalating into a fistfight when the junior officer became aggressive and threatened to retrieve a pistol.
The situation was defused by staff, but the incident led to the removal of all involved officers and the initiation of an inquiry to uncover the facts.
