LTO Islamabad Forms Regional Integrity Committee

ISLAMABAD: The Large Taxpayers’ Office (LTO) Islamabad has established a Regional Integrity Committee (RIC) to address corruption allegations. The committee includes tax officials as well as representatives from the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) and the Islamabad-Rawalpindi Tax Bar Association.

According to the official order issued by LTO Islamabad on Thursday, the RIC will be headed by Reema Masud, Commissioner Inland Revenue, LTO Islamabad.

Nasir M Quershi, the president of ICCI, will serve as the vice chairman. Other committee members are Babar Bilal, advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan; Qurratul in Ali Khan, Additional Commissioner IR; Shah Bahar, Additional Commissioner, Headquarters; and Nadaruz Zaman Barlas, who will act as the member/secretary for the committee.

The RIC will act as the primary point of contact for integrity-related issues, handling complaints from taxpayers and the public concerning LTO Islamabad officers and officials.

The committee is required to submit its findings to the chief commissioner of LTO Islamabad. This will facilitate communication with the Chief, IMC, IPMU through the IR Operations member.

Furthermore, the RIC is tasked with identifying the underlying factors contributing to integrity issues within LTO, Islamabad. Recommendations for addressing these issues will be submitted to the FBR through the appropriate channels.

The RIC will adhere to all relevant terms of reference (TORs) established by the Board to ensure transparent and equitable processing of complaints.

The stipulated timeframe for resolving complaints is 30 days, with a possible extension of another 30 days granted by the In-Charge, Integrity Management Cell, FBR, following a formal request via the correct procedure.

The RIC, LTO, Islamabad, is required to provide a monthly performance report using the designated format (Annex-I). This report will detail the total number of complaints received, the status of pending actions, and the complaints resolved during the month. It must be submitted to the IMC, FBR, and communicated to the Chief Commissioner-IR, LTO, Islamabad, before the 15th of each month. The notification confirms that this measure has been approved by the Chief Commissioner-IR, Large Taxpayers’ Office, Islamabad.