LAHORE - The Federal Service Tribunal has reinstated the FBR Union central president who was dismissed from service along with several other union office-bearers around three years ago for union activities and raising voice against high officials’ corruption.
More than 19 low cadre officials had also been dismissed while five employees of low rank were suspended from services without any serious allegation in February 2015. Their crime was that they were union office-bearers.
A notification No 0550-IR-IV/2015 dated February 23, 2015, issued by revenue division of FBR, had notified his dismissal from service. Disciplinary proceedings were initiated against Mian Abdul Qayyum, Inspector Inland Revenue Regional Tax office, Lahore vide charge-sheet dated 27-02-2014 and addendum dated 03-04-2015. His services were also placed under suspension from 04-03-2014.
The FST has now restored the central president of Federal Revenue Alliance Employees Union Mian Abdul Qayyum to service, who has also taken the charge from last week. The union leader said that the illegal act of the management to dismiss him was, in fact, aimed at sabotaging unions struggle for workers welfare. The FBR Union was not only working for the cause of lower staff of the tax department but also endeavoring for the enhancement in tax collection by digging out corruption of billions of rupees.
The central president of the former union, which is not presently operational in the FBR, said that he always raised the voice against tax evasion of several big companies, including so-called non-resident companies, which were evading tax of billions of rupees for a long time in connivance with FBR’s own high officials. The crime of the union was just attempting to make the FBR a transparent tax collecting agency but the officials, having some vested interests, did not want this transparency.
Mian Qayyum vowed to continue struggle for the cause of workers and field staff, who actually make revenue target possible by their efforts, besides pointing out the revenue leakage due to corrupt officers.
He said that Federal Board of Revenue can alone generate the amount equal to the federal budget. Resultantly, there will be no need to approach World Bank or IMF for monetary assistance.
He said that the FBR already contributes around 70 per cent in total budget of Pakistan despite non-recovery of billions of rupees income tax, sales tax and custom duty due to influential politicians and bureaucracy.
Moreover, the tax department can generate revenue equal to the total volume of federal budget through imposition of wealth tax and implementation of agri tax, which were debated much but never implemented.
The union always recommended the management to terminate corrupt officers responsible for embezzlement of around Rs300 billion annually by the so called non-resident companies.