THE news report ‘Javed Ghani given additional charge of FBR chief, replaces Nausheen Amjad’ (Dawn.com, July 4) raises two red flags.

Pakistan is facing the largest tax shortfall in its history. Taxation is a speciality worldwide done by experts who understand the nuances of the field, including how to identify underpayments by specific groups and how best to apply different tax regimes without impeding the economy.

By contrast the incumbent is a bureaucrat who is not a taxation expert. In a world that requires high level specialists, the use of non-experts is a recipe for failure. Such placements must be stopped as a matter of policy.

Given its importance, it is shocking to see someone being assigned this responsibiilty as an “additional charge”. Complicated endeavours demand time, attention and effort. Does this choice suggest the low priority that the government places on collecting direct taxes?

Dr Adnan Khan

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2020