FBR assessment exposes major gaps in tax officers' competence

A Federal Board of Revenue assessment found weak technical performance among Karachi’s inland revenue officers handling sales tax and income tax cases. Of 150 sales tax officers examined, none reached the 60% benchmark; among 143 income tax officers, only four did. Average scores were 26.4% for sales tax and 33.3% for income tax, according to the assessment reported by The Express Tribune.

The review said just 15 sales tax officers and 14 income tax officers met the standard for issuing orders independently, while four officers could do so correctly in both categories. It also identified shortcomings in supervisory checks and legal reasoning, and recommended focused training and assigning duties according to proven ability. The report cautioned that its findings, based on three cases in each tax category, were an initial indicator rather than a full assessment.