ISLAMABAD: The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has resolved 8,128 complaints against the maladministration of tax and customs authorities last year 2023 as compared to 6,106 complaints in 2022.

This was highlighted during a briefing given to President Dr Arif Alvi here in Islamabad on Wednesday. It was also informed that FTO provided a relief of 17.74 billion rupees to taxpayers in 2023 as compared to seven billion rupees in 2022.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said the FTO should further accelerate its efforts to increase the registration and disposal of complaints, besides increasing its outreach to the taxpayers.

He also called for enhanced coordination between FTO and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for the timely implementation of its decisions and bringing improvements in the tax regime.

Dr Arif Alvi remarked that an improved tax system was essential to increase tax and revenue generation in Pakistan, which would help improve our economy as well as reduce the country’s dependence on loans.