FBR Chairman Defends Procurement of Over 1,000 Vehicles Worth Rs. 6 Billion for Young Field Officers
Chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Rashid Langrial, defended the controversial procurement of over 1,000 vehicles worth Rs. 6 billion for young field officers, stating that the vehicles are necessary for their daily operational tasks. Langrial argued that these vehicles are essential for conducting key operations such as sales tax inspections and other critical activities in the field.
Read More: FBR plans to purchase 155 luxury cars from WB’s $400M.
The chairman emphasized that despite the procurement of 1,010 vehicles, FBR is confident that it will meet its tax collection targets. Langrial’s comments came after the FBR had already provided a satisfactory explanation for the vehicle purchase to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue earlier in the week.
However, the massive vehicle purchase order faced criticism from the Senate Finance Committee during a session on Wednesday. Committee Chairman Salim Mandivivala expressed concerns about the transparency of the procurement process. He questioned the necessity of such a purchase and urged FBR to be more transparent in granting contracts.
Senator Faisal Vawda also raised alarms about the lack of competition in the vehicle contract process, labeling it as a “scam and scandal” and calling for the issue to be stopped. Vawda pointed out that FBR was purchasing expensive vehicles without a competitive bidding process, which he viewed as inappropriate.
According to documents seen by ProPakistani, the purchase will occur in two phases. FBR plans to pay Rs. 3 billion upfront for the purchase, covering the full cost for 500 units and partial payment for the remaining 510 units. The balance payment will be made once the first batch of vehicles, consisting of 500 units, is delivered. The vehicles will be delivered in stages, starting with 75 vehicles in the current month, followed by additional deliveries in February, March, April, and May 2025, until all vehicles are received.
