LTO Islamabad Forms Regional Integrity Committee

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

According to an official order issued by LTO Islamabad on Thursday, the RIC will be chaired by Commissioner Inland Revenue Reema Masud. The vice chairman will be ICCI President Nasir M Quershi. Other members of the RIC include 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 serve as the member/secretary.

The RIC will act as the primary point of contact for integrity matters within LTO Islamabad and the FBR. It will manage all complaints from taxpayers and the public regarding the conduct of LTO Islamabad officers and officials.

The committee is required to submit its findings to the Chief Commissioner LTO Islamabad. This is to ensure coordination with the Chief, IMC, IPMU, through the relevant IR Operations member.

Furthermore, the RIC will be responsible for identifying the underlying causes of integrity issues within LTO Islamabad. It will then forward recommendations through the appropriate channels to the FBR for resolution.

The RIC will adhere to all relevant terms of reference (TORs) established by the Board to ensure transparent, fair, and judicious handling of all complaints.

The stipulated timeframe for resolving complaints is 30 days. This period may be extended by an additional 30 days by the In-Charge of the Integrity Management Cell (IMC) at the FBR, following a formal request through the correct channels.

The RIC, LTO, Islamabad, is required to submit a monthly performance report using the prescribed format (Annex-I). This report will detail the total number of complaints received, their status (pending or closed), and must be submitted to the IMC, FBR, via the Chief Commissioner-IR, LTO, Islamabad, before the 15th of each month. The notification confirms that this order has been approved by the Chief Commissioner-IR, Large Taxpayers’ Office, Islamabad.