New 'Inland Revenue Service' to deal with taxes, federal excise

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Customs and Excise Group renamed Pakistan Customs Service
* Income Tax group now defunct, will not have any more intake

By Tahir Niaz

ISLAMABAD: The government has created a new occupational group known as the Inland Revenue Service (IRS), incorporating the Customs and Excise and Income Tax groups, to oversee business on income tax, sales tax and federal excise.

According to an office memorandum issued by the Establishment Division, the existing Customs and Excise Group will be renamed the Pakistan Customs Service, while the Income Tax Group will be abolished. The move, part of the ongoing tax administration reforms, also seeks an agreement from each staff member of the Customs and Excise and Income Tax groups to either join the IRS or continue with their present cadre.

To facilitate the officers, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) shall inform each officer of the number of posts comprising the new occupational service. Each officer availing the IRS option would be appointed at the same level of seniority he/she occupied in the previous cadre, in accordance with Civil Servants (Seniority) Rules, 1993. According to the memo, if an insufficient number of officers opt for the IRS, the shortage shall be met by posting officers of the Customs Group and the Income Tax Group under Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act, 1973.

Depending on the number of officers opting for the IRS, the tentative cadre strength of the new service might equal the present combined strength of the Income Tax and Customs and Excise groups, or 1,196 officers. Once the officers have all submitted their preferences, the Establishment Division would finalise the exact cadre strength in consultation with the Revenue Division.

Dead cadre: According to the memo, if all the officers opt for the new service, the service will be renamed “Pakistan Revenue Service” and conduct all revenue and tax business. It said any Income Tax Group officers choosing to remain with the existing Income Tax Group would be part of a defunct cadre, which would not have any future intake.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...2009_pg7_7