Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to take appropriate disciplinary and corrective action against all tax officials involved in unauthorized access and manipulation of data of an overseas Pakistani.
The FTO has further directed the FBR to investigate how the integrity of tax data was compromised despite an elaborate and dedicated setup of PRAL.
The Member (IT) is to take appropriate steps to ensure data security and effective control over IT personnel in all jurisdictions, the FTO order added.
The complainant is an Overseas Pakistani and has been living in the United States of America since 2001. The complainant stated that on July, 5th 2023, she emailed the Chief Commissioner, RTO, Lahore office regarding the illegal registration of an FBR tax filer’s account in her name. However, she did not get a response from the RTO’s office.
The complainant further stated that she neither applied for an NTN in Pakistan nor did she have any income from Pakistan. The complainant further stated that under the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 (the Ordinance) she was not liable to be registered for an NTN number.
The complainant further stated that she came to know on July 4th, 2023 that someone had applied for an NTN in her name and obtained the same as 298630-1. The complainant further stated that she immediately emailed FBR informing them that she had not applied for this NTN.
The NTN was obtained using a mobile number and email that did not belong to her. The complainant further stated that on July 1 2023 with the help of an LRO, she was able to gain access to the FBR account in Pakistan and got both the mobile number and email changed, the FTO order said.
The IT Wing report further shows that on 26.09.2023 the profile of the complainant was manipulated through the connivance of an employee of RTQ Lahore Ikram UIIah bearing CNIC No: 3540303688098 through a modification application. Even password
was also changed using the online utility ‘forgot password’.
The above facts show that Shoaib Iqbal (ITP) and Ikram Ullah from RTO Lahore are the persons who breached the data security manipulated the tax profile for updation and filed tax returns on behalf of the complainant.
Given the above facts, it can safely be presumed that Shoaib Iqbal (ITP), Ikram Ullah employee of RTO Lahore, and Asif Ali, a Data Processing Officer (PRAL) got unauthorized access to tax data and manipulated the same to create a tax profile of the complainant and made changes on account of email address, password and had filed return of income on behalf of the complainant.
The said acts are found contrary to law, oppressive, and involve the exercise of authority for improper motives and administrative excesses in terms of 2(3)(i)(a)(b) and (d) of the FTO Ordinance, 2000, FTO order added.
