Students from the Journalism and Mass Communication Department of the University of Peshawar, led by Chairman Dr. Faizullah Jan, visited the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) Regional Office in Peshawar. The visit included an informative awareness session, aimed at educating future journalists on the role, powers, and responsibilities of the Federal Tax Ombudsman in addressing tax-related grievances and promoting taxpayers’ rights. Dr. Bakht Zaman also accompanied the delegation.
During the session, Sardar Ali Khawaja, Advisor to the Federal Tax Ombudsman, emphasized the significant role that young journalists can play in fighting mismanagement and corruption. He urged them to raise their voices against unethical practices and to inform the public about their rights and duties as taxpayers.
“Our core responsibilities include handling complaints related to income tax, sales tax, customs, and federal excise duty,” said Khawaja. “The FTO ensures relief is provided within 45 days, and necessary action is taken against the responsible authorities.” He clarified that filing complaints with the FTO is free, and citizens can conveniently submit their grievances online or via the FTO mobile app, portal, or postal mail.
Sardar Ali Khawaja further highlighted that the FTO has addressed around 9,000 complaints so far, with many issues related to unlawful practices by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials, unnecessary tax notices, delays in legitimate tax refunds, and misuse of power. He noted, “If an employee’s salary is less than PKR 50,000, no tax is applicable. However, employees earning above this threshold are subject to tax. Our goal is to serve the public, and we will not tolerate any negligence in this regard.”
He also discussed future plans for awareness campaigns aimed at educating the public on tax matters, with a particular focus on engaging students. “The involvement of journalism students in these campaigns can play a positive role in disseminating accurate information and fostering transparency,” he added.
on occasion Dr. Faizullah Jan,expressed his gratitude to the Federal Tax Ombudsman Office for organizing the event. He appreciated the FTO’s efforts in resolving tax issues efficiently and emphasized the importance of such sessions in building a well-informed and responsible society.
