Javed Ghani appointed new FBR chairman to replace Nosheen Amjad

The federal government has ordered immediate replacement of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairperson Nosheen Amjad, replacing him with FBR board member for customs policy, Muhammad Javed Ghani.

The appointment is for three months now, meaning the new chairman will have an additional charge until a regular appointment is made to the post.

The question is being debated in economic and political circles as to which direction the five-time appointment of the FBR chairman during the PTI regime is pointing.

Speaking to the media, Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz said that since the resignation of former chairman Shabar Zaidi, the FBR had been operating under a “stop gap arrangement”.

He said that the PTI government was very happy with the performance of Shabar Zaidi but could not continue the work due to ill health, which we regret.

It may be recalled that Shabar Zaidi had resigned from the post of Chairman FBR on April 8, 2020.

Shibli Faraz said that Nosheen Javed was appointed after Shabar Zaidi because the government wanted the institution to perform better.

“As the revenue collection targets set for the FBR are quite challenging in the current situation, Javed Ghani has been given the responsibility to meet the government’s targets.”

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But journalists reporting on economic issues, Shahbaz Rana, does not agree with Shibli Faraz.

He says that Javed Ghani has not been appointed on a permanent basis but has been given the additional charge of Chairman FBR.

According to Shahbaz Rana, this appointment is also a stop gap arrangement and proves that at present there is no officer in the eyes of the government who can be appointed to this post on a permanent basis.

Haroon Sharif, former chairman of the Board of Investment, told the media that the government was confused.

“The structure of the FBR has become very complex and the confidence of the private sector in the institution has diminished,” he said. One of the many reasons for this is the inconsistency in the policy of the institution. That’s the decent thing to do, and it should end there. ”

He says tax collection targets are unrealistic. The change of chairman five times in two years is a clear indication that the government lacks the capacity to change the structure of the institution and that it wants to run the institution only through personalities.

“The government could have waited until Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, but the government was in a hurry,” a former FBR official told the media. The summary was also released from circulation.

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“I think it’s all on an ad hoc basis, meaning Javed Ghani has been given extra charge,” he said. It seems that the government did not have a name in mind at that time.

He says that since Shabar Zaidi has gone, the government has not been able to select a person for the post on proper grounds.

The former FBR officer also said that the government emphasizes the importance of the FBR and discusses issues but is not able to find a proper administrator in the institution who can work for a reasonable period of time.

“It’s not a government department or a division where one secretary came and the other left. The work will continue,” he said. It requires knowledge of the organization, rules and understanding of the work that cannot be created quickly.

Even if you hire a person inside the FBR, it also takes some time to understand. In five or six months, he brings himself to the level where he acts as chairman, then policies are made and They are implemented. For this post, it is important to appoint one person for two to three years.

He says the government has not been able to find a suitable person to appoint him as chairman throughout the year.

Giving his suggestions, Haroon Sharif said that the government has to innovate in terms of technology in the institution. The tax collection procedure has to be fixed. The tax revenue policy has been handed over to the Ministry of Commerce, which is a weak institution.

“The government should hire experienced people from the private sector, give them full support, give them time and target them so that they can perform. The short term that you have collected so much money, no one will be able to do anything.”

“It’s a raisin within the organization.”

The former FBR officer said that there has been confusion and unrest within the organization for more than a year, the various sections of the organization are working independently and the work of the organization as a whole is being affected.

Leading economist Dr Ashfaq Hassan, speaking to the BBC, said that the Prime Minister had recently referred to PIA and said that if 11 chairmen were replaced in ten years, where would the institution improve.

Dr. Ashfaq Hassan says that I ask the same question with reference to the FBR and the Interior Ministry, whose secretaries change every five to six months.

He says the chairman of the FBR is the opening batsman of the economic team who has to pay the revenue.

Dr. Ashfaq also said that “Javed Ghani is a senior officer, belongs to the same department and is an experienced person and it is hoped that he too will not be removed from office after four or six months and will be allowed to work.”