ISLAMABAD, Jan 31: Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) Justice Saleem Akhtar (retired) has asked the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) to direct tax officials to stop the practice of issuing show cause notices to tax payers.

Despite clear directions from the CBR, some of the tax officials were unlawfully issuing show cause notices with an ulterior motive to harass taxpayers, the FTO said.

The decision was taken on the complaint of a professor in Government College for Women, Satellite Town, Rawalpindi, Nadeema Badar, who received two show cause notices from special officer, Rawalpindi, without a prior notice.

According to the complainant, attitude of special officer was very uncooperative and insulting for reasons best known to him.

The complainants are also pressurised to pay bribe for settlement of the case, she alleged.

The CBR has already issued a letter on January 7, 2002, in which tax officials have been directed not to issue show cause notice prior to the issuance of a notice under section 65 of the income tax ordinance.