IRS Officers Association Rejects FBR’s New Rating and Reward System

The Inland Revenue Service Officers Association (IRSOA) strongly urges its members to collectively boycott the recently launched Rating and Reward System (RRS) by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) administration.

After thorough deliberation, the Association finds the RRS to be a deeply flawed initiative and an affront to the professional integrity and structural stability of the Inland Revenue Service (IRS).

The association’s reasons for rejecting the system are:

1. No other civil service in Pakistan is subjected to such an intrusive and discriminatory review system. The IRS is being unfairly singled out, which is unacceptable.
2. The criteria for evaluation under RRS are entirely subjective, opening the door to personal biases and favoritism e.g out of 50 officers the option to grade 10 officers in category A enforces the rest 40 officers to be graded as corrupt. The system has been designed in such a way that 80% of the officers would be forcefully labeled corrupt. Otherwise, the form would not get submitted.
3. It is grossly unfair to expect FBR officers to practically label their peers as corrupt or lacking integrity.
4. The introduction of RRS will further harm the reputation of the FBR, an organization already subject to undue and unfair scrutiny compared to other government departments. This will inevitably impact the performance of FBR and consequently state revenue.

“The IRSOA firmly believes that the RRS is not a reformative initiative but an ill-conceived mechanism that will exacerbate existing challenges instead of resolving them. We stand united in our resolve to resist this policy and call upon the FBR administration to withdraw this scheme immediately,” the association further said.

The association urged the administration to engage in meaningful dialogue with stakeholders to address genuine concerns and focus on constructive reforms that strengthen the Inland Revenue Service and its critical role in national development.