FBR favours settling legal cases outside of the court

• FBR encourages out-of-court settlement of legal cases
• The FBR launched a simplified process at the first appeal, ie commissioners appeals level by implementing the e-filing of appeals since January 1
• Taxpayers can simply file appeals against an appealable order online. They don't have to visit a field office

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue says it is trying to speed up the disposal of thousands of litigation cases pending in different appellate forums.

The FBR launched a simplified process at the first appeal, ie commissioners appeals level by implementing the e-filing of appeals since January 1.

Through e-filing, taxpayers can simply file appeals against an appealable order online. They don't have to visit a field office.

For the period from July to December 2020, target of disposal assigned to the CsIR (Appeals) was 7,818 appeals against which a total of 17,768 appeals were disposed of, exceeding the target by a huge margin.

Read more: Why does Pakistan have Rs5,000 note, asks former FBR chairperson Shabbar Zaidi

Special benches have been made by the Sindh, Lahore and Islamabad high courts to hear tax cases with early hearings on FBR's request.

A new has been introduced to induct competent lawyers so government revenue is not left at the stake of amateur lawyers. Because of this, 934 tax cases were disposed by the high courts and the Supreme Court with the revenue involved amounting to Rs81.7 billion in the last quarter (ending December, 2020).

The Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue decided 1,240 cases with a revenue involved of Rs168.5 billion during the same period.

For the benefit of taxpayers’ that the institution of alternate dispute resolution committee (ADRC) has also been mobilised by virtue of which taxpayers’ are encouraged to get their cases settled through these committees in a much lesser time and without incurring litigation cost.