January 23, 2003	Thursday	Ziqa’ad 19, 1423

ISLAMABAD, Jan 22: The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) has decided to constitute dispute resolution committees for early resolution of cases of levy and payment of sales tax.

A senior official in the Central Board of Revenue told Dawn on Tuesday that the board has worked out a panel of around 50 persons, who would be entitled to become member of these committees.

The panel is expected to be notified shortly, the official added.

The CBR has received so far 10 cases involving huge amount of revenue for the alternate dispute resolution of these cases, the official said and added these cases would be taken up in the committees to be constituted shortly.

These committees would include an officer of sales tax department not below the rank of collector; one or two persons from among the notified panel of chartered accountants, advocates, representatives of trade bodies or associations, or any other reputable taxpayer and member of the board.

According to the official, no committee would be constituted in cases, where the matter has been decided by a High Court or the Supreme Court.

A dispute resolution committee will examine the questions of fact and law and may, if it deems necessary conduct inquiry, seek expert opinion, direct the collector to conduct an audit or a special audit by chartered accountants or cost accountants and make recommendations.

The recommendation might include the liability of tax against the registered person, or admissibility of refunds, as the case may be; the extent of waiver of additional tax and penalty by stating reasons and circumstances leading to the recommendation and the quantum of input tax admissible in terms of sub-section (3) to section 7.

It would also include relaxation of any procedural or technical irregularities and condonation of any prescribed time limitation and any other specific relief required to resolve the dispute.

The board may, on the recommendations of the committee, pass such order as it may deem fit for the resolution of the dispute.