Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered indiscriminate action against corrupt elements in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Pakistan's main tax collection agency. The instruction was part of a wider FBR corruption crackdown tied to the government's reform drive, and he issued it on Monday while chairing a meeting on the FBR in Islamabad. The Prime Minister said early results of the ongoing reforms were encouraging, but that officers must lift their performance to meet public expectations.
What the Prime Minister told officers
Shehbaz Sharif said officers and staff who show better conduct and performance should be given a chance to reform themselves. He added that there would be no place in the institution for those who persist in corruption and poor performance. He also asked for faster rollout of a faceless system in tax collection areas, an arrangement that limits direct, in-person dealings between taxpayers and officials. He said the reforms serve the wider national interest and will continue without interruption.
Reform progress presented at the meeting
The meeting was told that the estimated tax gap, meaning the difference between tax that should be collected and tax that is actually collected, has fallen from six percent to five percent of GDP over the past three years. GDP, or gross domestic product, is the total value of goods and services produced in the economy. The meeting was also told that technology has significantly reduced the discretionary powers of FBR officers. Newly recruited officers are being trained at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), in-service training is under way for serving staff, and a peer-rating system has been introduced to assess performance.
The meeting heard that 957 auditors have been hired on merit-based contracts as third-party auditors, a step that has increased the Board's audit capacity fourfold. The FBR is also being restructured with the help of technology, including the recruitment of specialised technical staff and a performance-linked incentive system.
What happens next
The meeting did not announce individual cases or the names of officers facing action. The Prime Minister's remarks set out two paths: a chance for officers who improve, and removal for those who continue with corruption. He said the reforms will not be paused, and that officers must show results in their conduct and performance.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Wazir-e-Azam Shehbaz Sharif ne FBR mein corrupt afraad ke khilaf bila tafreeq karwai ka hukm diya hai. Jo afsar behtar kaam karein unhein sudhar ka mauqa milega, lekin jo corruption aur kharab karkardagi jari rakhein unki FBR mein jagah nahi hogi. Tax gap GDP ke chhe fisad se kam ho kar paanch fisad reh gaya hai, yani tax jama karne ka nizam behtar hua hai. Aam log ke liye iska matlab hai ke tax system mein shaffafiyat aur jawabdehi par zor barh raha hai.
