LAHORE: President Dr. Arif Alvi revealed on Saturday that he tried to find a way for early elections through negotiations between the coalition government and PTI.
He said he took the initiative to try to defuse the rising tension between the two sides “but all efforts failed.”
President Alvi while talking to journalists at the Punjab Governor House stressed the need for early elections.
Commenting on the ongoing political situation in the country, the President said that he is in touch with the institutions that can play an effective role in resolving the issue.
The president said that he used to try to remove the differences in the institutions, he wanted to keep the federation united.
He said that political use of NAB law is a mistake.
In response to a question, the president said that he was making efforts to improve the relationship between Imran Khan and the establishment.
“Khan is my leader and old friend,” the president said, adding that he does not seek the PTI chief’s advice before acting.
Stressing the need to improve the functioning of state institutions, Alvi said, “Institutions are being used politically.”
He said that the political role of the institution is wrong.
“The Constitution does not allow for consultation on the appointment of the Army Chief,” the President said, adding that there is still no problem in discussing the appointment of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
Responding to a question about the role of the establishment in politics, the President said that he cannot rewrite history but can try to improve the situation.
President Alvi said that all political parties had at some point called for early elections and added that the Supreme Court had also discussed the possibility of early elections to end the political stalemate. He said that cases are sent to the judiciary but no one is ready to accept its decisions.
Earlier, while addressing an awareness seminar organized by the office of the Federal Tax Ombudsman at the Governor’s House, the President said that the Tax Ombudsman is doing commendable work to resolve revenue disputes.
He stressed the need to put aside differences and move forward through dialogue on the basis of national interest.
He said that the number of complaints against the FBR increased from 2,414 (in 2021) to 5,494 (in 2022) which shows that people’s practical attitude towards the tax ombudsman has improved a lot.
He appreciated that the grievances have been redressed within 40 days instead of 60 days as per law.
Alvi praised Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman who attended the seminar despite political differences. He appreciated the services of Women Ombudsman Office in Punjab for providing relief to women. “Now under positive legislation, women can approach the Women’s Ombudsman, regardless of the status of their case in court,” she added.
He lauded the Tax Ombudsman for registering the problems faced by overseas Pakistanis and promoting the dispute resolution system in solving tax problems by opening a single window for their resolution.
He called for a more vigorous campaign to convince the citizens to register complaints against the injustices meted out to them by the tax authorities. He said people are still not approaching the tax ombudsman’s office as evidenced by the registration of just 5,000 complaints out of a population of over 211 million. The president lamented that Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio was very low and urged the citizens to pay their tax dues.
Federal Tax Ombudsman Dr. Asif Jah briefed the President about the functions of his office. He stressed the need to facilitate tax payers by providing speedy and cost-effective justice to aggrieved taxpayers against mismanagement by tax authorities, adding that people-friendly attitude and open doors on the part of tax authorities are essential. Adopting a policy will encourage people to voluntarily become part of it. Tax Net
The President stressed the need to eliminate wasteful tax proceedings in cases where the cost of litigation exceeds the tax amount to save time and resources of government departments.
He further said that taxes are necessary for effective governance system, the business community should voluntarily comply with the tax system while the tax machinery should facilitate tax collection by taxpayers and reduce the cost of tax compliance. Facilitate to reduce
The President said that modern IT tools including complaint management system, web-based chatbots, web portals and mobile applications can enhance filing of taxpayer complaints. He urged the FTO to play its role effectively in grievance redressal by creating awareness about its role and services.
He lauded the FTO for including alternative dispute resolution for arbitration between the taxpayers and the FBR so that mutual agreement and settlement between the parties would provide immediate relief not only to the taxpayers but also to the FBR. Therefore, the cost of litigation also decreased.
He said that the process of filing a complaint by the victim should be facilitated by using electronic means of communication for filing complaints and recording statements of complainants and witnesses.
