Cabinet sets four-day deadline for FBR revamp plan

The federal cabinet on Tuesday formed a new inter-ministerial committee to come up with final recommendations on restructuring the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) within a tight deadline of four days to minimise differences among different tax groups. The proposed reforms were developed in closed-door consultation with a select group of people led by Caretaker Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar. Instead of selecting a new minister to oversee the evolved plans, the federal cabinet reappointed Ms Shamshad to chair the inter-ministerial committee, sources in the tax machinery told Dawn. Tax officials have already expressed worries about the caretaker finance minister’s quick and selective intervention in the overhaul of the tax administrative mechanism. As a result, the ‘establishment’ intervened to mitigate the damages and allow for the submission of a summary to the federal cabinet, said the sources.