WEBDESK: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to incorporate six important security measures in the Finance Bill to curb unfair arrest of individuals in tax fraud cases.
These measures regarding tax fraud harassment come after strong concerns from lawmakers and the business community.
During a high-level meeting, the premier said that “any unjustified harassment is intolerable” and stressed that only serious offenders should face arrest.
He ruled that executives like CEOs and CFOs may only be arrested if certain strict conditions are met: including if they flee, tamper with evidence, ignore three summons, or if fraud exceeds Rs50 million, subject to approval from a special FBR board and a chamber representative.
Though ministers argued that arrest powers already exist under current law, the FBR has proposed removing the Rs1 billion threshold and increasing jail terms from 5 to 10 years.
However, this raised concern in Parliament.
Senator Farooq H. Naek said “Ten years is excessive” and urged a reduction in both fines and prison terms.
Others agreed that tax laws should not be “used for political victimization.”
Separately, Senator Anusha Rehman criticised the presence of Rs45 billion in surplus funds held by a dormant authority, asking why it wasn’t part of the national account.
She also pushed for fair regulation of E-commerce, warning against burdening small online sellers, particularly women and youth.
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