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ISLAMABAD: Almost 250 employees of the Federal Government Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF) will suffer for their employer's alleged cheating on taxes.
Dawn has learned that 247 employees of the FGEHF will not get their salaries on Wednesday as Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has instructed the relevant bank to freeze the account of the foundation for nonpayment of taxes of Rs1.3billion.FGEHF is an ancillary department of the Ministry of Housing and Works and has been handling the transfers of plots in sector G-13, G-14, E-12 and collecting fee directly. FBR has time and again sent notices to the foundation to pay Rs1.3 billion as taxes but relevant officer of the foundation Zafar Haider Jappa did not reply to the FBR.
Besides, he even did not bother to turn up to the FBR to negotiate a settlement including payment of the amount in installments.
An officer of the foundation said that after failing to get reply, FBR under Section 10 of its rules instructed Askari Bank Blue Area branch through the State Bank to freeze the accounts of the foundation and consequently the bank on Tuesday refused to transfer the salaries of the employees.
"We don't know when the issue will resolve. If FBR wanted to take action against the foundation, it should have first ensured the release of the salaries," he said.
DD Finance, Zafar Haider Jappa, who has been transferred from FBR to FGEHF, told Dawn that he had been appointed just four months ago and did not know the bank account of the foundation has been seized.
"I even don't know that my organisation and the FBR are locked in any dispute," he said.
Federal Secretary Housing, Kamran Lashari told Dawn that it was not in his knowledge that the bank account of the foundation had been frozen and salaries of the employees had not been released. However, he assured that he would look into the matter.
Director General FGEHF, Talat Rasheed Mian said because of some confusion FBR has seized the account of the foundation. "FBR has been demanding tax on all transactions, but we are saying that some money has been spent on development work which should be exempted from tax. Anyhow within couple of days the matter will be resolved and the salaries of the staff will be released," he said.
