ISLAMABAD  -  The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Tuesday approved five separate summaries submitted by the Federal Board of Revenue as part of the FBR Transformation Plan earlier approved by the Prime Minister. Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb chaired a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet held at Finance Division. The ECC approved five separate summaries submitted by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) as part of the FBR Transformation Plan.

The subject matters covered under the summaries included following five key areas:

1. Enhancing FBR’s operational expertise and organizational capacities.

2. Performance management regime for FBR officers.

3 Capacity building program for FBR officers.

4. Anti-Smuggling measures under FBR Transformation Plan.

5. Mobility and transit accommodation arrangements for FBR officers.

The ECC considered and approved a summary submitted by the Ministry of Communications (Postal Services Wing) for a Technical Supplementary Grant (TSG) amounting to Rs16.995 billion for clearing of verified pending liabilities of companies/agency partners of Pakistan Post Office Department.

The ECC also considered and approved a summary submitted by the Election Commission of Pakistan for a TSG of Rs. 1.317 billion in connection with Local Government (bye-elections) in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and Local Government elections in Islamabad (ICT) & Punjab province during FY 2024-25.

The ECC had a detailed discussion on all five proposals submitted by the FBR and accorded them a principled approval with the proviso that a third-party impact evaluation of the processes and KPIs proposed under the proposals would be conducted before the next financial budget, while a similar impact evaluation of the outcomes in line with the KPIs to be drawn up under the proposals, would be carried out at the end of calendar year 2025 to see the merit of the entire exercise and its impact on the overall goal of enhanced revenue generation and resource mobilization. The ECC also decided that the Revenue Division and Finance Division would work out the mechanics, including allocation and release of budgets, under the five proposals, through joint consultation.

The meeting was attended by Rana Tanveer Hussain, Minister for Industries and Production; Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Minister for Power; Jam Kamal Khan, Minister for Commerce; Ali Pervaiz Malik, Minister of State for Finance and Revenue; the governor, State Bank of Pakistan; the chairman FBR, federal secretaries, and senior officers from concerned ministries and departments.