The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to establish a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for conducting lab tests on auctioned vehicles by successful bidders.
The FTO issued these instructions to the FBR on Tuesday.
The directive comes after a complaint was filed under Section 10(1) of the Federal Tax Ombudsman Ordinance, 2000, against the Director of the Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation Customs in Rawalpindi. The complaint involved a refusal to refund the bid amount paid by a successful bidder after the auction proceedings.
The FTO’s order highlights that the complainant delayed the vehicle registration process by nearly four years, making it difficult to attribute any maladministration to the department.
However, to ensure fair treatment and prevent similar issues in the future, the FTO has made several recommendations to the FBR.
The FBR is instructed to have the Director General of Intelligence & Investigation – Customs, FBR, direct the Director of Intelligence & Investigation — Customs in Rawalpindi to personally review the case and issue a detailed order on the refund matter, ensuring the complainant is given a fair opportunity to be heard.
Additionally, the FTO has directed the Member Customs (Operations), FBR, to create and distribute a comprehensive SOP to all Customs field formations. This SOP should detail the procedure for conducting lab tests on auctioned vehicles by the successful bidder within a specified timeframe after delivery, to avoid similar issues in the future. Compliance with this directive is to be reported back to the FTO.
