Budget Related Work on Hold at FBR Due to Limited Workforce

There was almost no budget-related work done at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Tuesday due to the limited workforce at the FBR Headquarters. Presently, there is a complete ban on visitors due to the ongoing budget preparation exercise for 2022-23. On Tuesday, Chairman FBR Asim Ahmed resumed work at the FBR House after returning from Doha. However, no meeting was scheduled for the chairman. The blockage of all roads to the D-Chowk near Parliament House resulted in problems for the FBR employees to reach the Board. Many of the FBR employees were forced to go back to their homes due to the blockage of roads. The Board also did not hold any internal meetings or meetings with the stakeholders throughout the day. The situation may continue on Wednesday. Interestingly, the FBR avoids transfers and postings during the annual budget preparation exercise. However, four BS-20 Customs officials including Collector, Collectorate of Customs, Jinnah International Airport (JIAP), Karachi; Collector, Collectorate of Customs, Hyderabad, and Collector, Collectorate of Customs, Gwadar were given new assignments on Tuesday.