A separate cell has been set up for overseas Pakistanis, who collectively remit more than $31 billion yearly, to resolve their tax-related complaints on a priority basis, said Coordinator to Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) Meher Kashif Younis. Many overseas Pakistanis had complained to the FTO about the double taxation on their assets that they received here and the difficulty they had in uploading refund applications to the FBR portal, he said while speaking at an awareness session with industrialists and traders at the FTO Office.

He said that thanks to the cell, now aggrieved Pakistanis living abroad will quickly have their genuine complaints handled. Setting a record, the FTO had resolved almost 5,000 tax complaints in the first 10 months of the year and the work was ongoing on the 500 pending complaints, he added. According to him, the FTO is Pakistan’s only legitimate organisation that processes complaints - received via a portal, mobile app, WhatsApp, e-mail, in person, by fax, or in writing- without fee and resolves them within 40 days.

Some can even be resolved the same day with only one call to the relevant department pointing out the problems. Meher said the FTO always values the business community and tax payers highly since they support the economy and make significant contributions to boosting the overall health of the country. He added that some prominent business figures with a reputation for honesty from chambers have also served as honorary advisors and coordinators to promote liaison and provide convenience to tax payers.

He said the FTO is always available to save the tax payers from high handedness of tax authorities. However, he stressed that all tax payers are duty bound to pay their liabilities on time as affairs of state are governed with the help of tax collection.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk