October 20, 2002	Sunday	Sha'aban 13, 1423

ISLAMABAD, Oct 19: The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO), Justice Saleem Akhtar, has asked the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) for exclusion of an assessee from the list of total audit under self assessment scheme (SAS).

The Ombudsman observed that none of the criteria set forth by CBR in the guidelines for selection of cases by the Regional Commissioner was applicable to the case of complainant, said an official announcement issued on Saturday.

The FTO said that selection of the return of the complainant for audit, therefore, was arbitrary and the alleged mal-administration was proved in the case.

The compliance report should be produced to his office in this regard within 30 days of this order, the Ombudsman said.

The complainant, M/s Sahib Textiles Ltd., Faisalabad, in its complaint alleged mal-administration on the part of RCIT, Eastern Region, Lahore for arbitrarily setting apart the return filed by the complainant under SAS for total audit by invoking para 9 (a)(ii) of CBR circular no. 4 of 2001.

The FTO in his short order observed that it was found the reasons, which the complainant was confronted with by the RCIT were not relevant to believe that complainants’s case has more revenue potential than already declared in the return of income.