LAHORE The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to promote Income Tax Inspectors from July, accepting their longstanding demand of upgradation, following the Federal Revenue Alliance Unions threat to go on strike for unlimited period. The FBR, after a round of talks with the Inspectors Action Committee, has informed in a letter No cc.IR/2010/2011/14675, dated 21/6/2011 that the Inland Revenue Inspectors would be upgraded from BS 14 to BS 16 in the month of July. Asrar Rauf, Additional Secretary, Revenue Division, FBR, who held a series of talks with the Inspectors Action Committee in Karachi following their three-day strike in Karachi offices for the upgradation of their scale, has admitted that the agenda of the inspectors is genuine and supported with various decisions of the apex court. The agenda of the inspectors is found genuine and supported with the various decisions of the apex court specially, when FBR had upgraded the Auditors/ Superintendents from BS 14 to BS. The matter put up before Secretary Revenue Division/ Chairman FBR and would be finalised in the month of July 2011. It was assured that the Inland Revenue Inspectors would be upgraded from BS 14 to BS 16. The letter is released with the signatures of the officers including Asrar Rauf, Additional Secretary, Revenue Division, FBR, Islamabad; Mohammad Raza Baqir, Chief Commissioner, IR RTO, Karachi; and Malik Abdul Samad, Chief Commissioner IR ROT-II, Karachi. It is to be noted that FBR inspectors had planned to protests across the country in a series to press government for their due promotions from next month. The income tax inspectors from across the country decided to come to streets to convince the higher authorities to fulfil their demand of up-gradation and if the demand was not considered seriously by the government they would go on strike for unlimited period. The inspectors ranked officials at the Regional Tax Office (RTO) Lahore had been performing their duties in their respective offices with black ribbons on their arms in protest. Federal Revenue Alliance Unions central president Abdul Qayyum, while talking to The Nation, said that in a meeting of the union held on June 22, it was demanded of the govt to promote all inspectors of FBR, including Customs, Central Excise, Sales Tax and Income Tax. He welcomed the assurance made by the Additional Secretary, Revenue Division, FBR, for the promotion of the Income Tax Inspectors. He also demanded the govt to implement the filling of the vacant seats of ITOs by promoting 95 per cent of the inspectors and 5 per cent of stenos, which was approved a long time ago. The officials said that Inland Revenue Services had been denying promotions to its income tax inspectors for the last over 27 years, as no inspector level official has been upgraded since 1983. They stated that the Inland Revenue Services department made the last promotions in 1982-83 and after this no up-gradation was made in and below the rank of income tax inspectors. They said that only income tax inspectors have not been given promotions, who are working still in 14th scale while in every other federal department inspectors are given 16th grade. They made it clear that due to promotion, the government would not have to bear the budgetary burden, as only Rs 200 to Rs 300 will be added in their salaries after promotions. The officials said the government is spending millions on high officials while the lower staff is constantly being ignored.