The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is being examined after the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) cited the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) senior tax officials to include FBR chairman Rashid Lanejrial.
The operation has followed a public complaint on the introduction of the controversial “current market value” column in the 2025 wealth statement form, a change that was overturned after Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s intervention.
The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO), Dr Asif Jah, directed the FBR Chairman to review the organizing of members of Inland Revenue (Operations and Policy) and the Director General (IT & DT), and take appropriate action against those who are responsible. Sources added that the FTO also directed the chairman to ensure that such lapses do not come in the future.
According to the FTO results, senior FBR officers failed to respond to legal notices or attend the complaint related hearing, which was filed by tax lawyer Waheed Shahad Butt.
The FTO described their behavior as a signal of “irrational” and “neglect, neglect, and defective”, which met the legal definition of the error.
Talking to Butt, proposal, he said, “FBR Top brass, posted at the FBR headquarters, is interested in maintaining the principles of law, fair sports, and natural justice. He looks unaware of the fundamental rights given to Pakistan’s taxpayers.” He called on the Prime Minister to restore the FBR and remove the officials who have abused the integrity of the tax system.
The FTO order states that the controversial column was included on September 23, 2025, without any action, which causes taxpayers to face difficulties.
After taking notice and forming a committee, the Prime Minister recommended the panel removing the column. Subsequently, the FBR deleted the requirement from the Prime Minister’s approval from the tax return form available at its ASP portal.