Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh Revenue Board, the only body tasked to collect sales tax on services in the province, has been violating rules and regulations of the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) by appointing and regularizing people on senior most posts – Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners, Daily Times has learnt.

Whole of the tax collecting body has been in control of a 70 years old retired employee of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Syed Mushtaq Kazmi. Initially, he was appointed as a ‘Member’ but his services were briefly dispensed with in pursuance of Supreme Court’s judgment in a case reported as 2013 SCMR 1752. He was, however, immediately re-employed on a one-year contract as ‘Adviser, Tax Policy and Audit’ in November 2013. Since then he has been serving in the SRB.

His initial one-year contract had been extended by the Sindh Revenue Board Chairman without advertising for the position. He has been drawing hefty a remuneration of Rs 200,000 per month. He is also enjoying other perks such as an official Sedan car (GSA 508 Toyota XLI), a driver and an allowance of 300-liters of petrol per month, which are beyond the terms of his contract.

Sources say that the management of the Sindh Revenue Board has recently regularized a large number of contractual employees in cognizance of Mushtaq Kazmi ; on the senior most posts including Commissioner, Deputy and Assistant Commissioners.

According to sources, Zamir Ali Khalid, having BA, LLB degrees, was appointed as Legal Consultant on a one year contract however he has been regularized and promoted as Commissioner Legal (BS-19), Sohail Ahmed Kalhoro, MSC, IT, was appointed on contract basis as IT Consultant and has now been regularized and promoted as Deputy Commissioner (BS-18),

Samreen Haneef Pathan, FCCA (FMCA) was appointed on contract basis as Consultant Audit however she has now been regularized and posted as Deputy Commissioner (BS-18), Shahid Gul Ghani, MBA, MIS, was appointed on one year contract as IT Consultant and now he has been regularized and posted as Deputy Commissioner (BS 18), Mohammad Ali Mazgani, BA (Hons) was appointed for one year period as Internee however he has been regularized and posted as Deputy Commissioner (BS 18), Mir Abdul Alam, MA, was appointed on contract basis as Consultant however he has been regularized and posted as (Deputy Commissioner BS 18), Quratulain Zardari, B.Com, was appointed as Internee however she has been regularized and posted directly as (Assistant Commissioner BS-17), Tehmin Sadiq who was previously working in a private university, but due to her connections, has been directly appointed as Deputy Commissioner, Training, in the SRB., Recently another large batch comprising 29 internees/temporary employees has been “regularized” and posted as Assistant Commissioners.

The Sindh Revenue Board was created under the SRB Act in the wake of the 18th Constitutional Amendment that, inter alia, removed Sales Tax on Services from the Federal Legislative List and thus allowed the Provinces to regulate the matters related to the imposition, levy and collection of sales tax on services.

That the SRB exercises the authority of a Department of GoS, and its employees are civil servants within the meaning of Sindh Civil Servants Act is further established by the following facts. However, the powerful mafia in the Sindh Revenue Board has brought it under the administrative control of Chief Minister’s secretariat abolishing its independent status of a separate department.