FBR approves increase in reward of IR officials

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has approved increase in reward of Inland Revenue officials from 18 to 24 salaries for meritorious services.

In this regard, the FBR has approved key amendments to the Inland Revenue Reward Rules, 2021, increasing the upper limit of rewards for meritorious services and introducing a new evaluation mechanism for ex-cadre officers and staff.

The decisions were taken during the third meeting of the FBR Board-in-Council for fiscal year (2025-26), held at FBR Headquarters Islamabad under the chairmanship of FBR Chairman.

Senior board members attended the meeting, while three members were granted leave of absence.

According to the sources, the Board unanimously approved raising the maximum reward limit from the existing 18 salaries to 24 salaries per financial year. The amendment applies to employees under Rule 6 of the Inland Revenue Reward Rules.

The Board also reviewed the proposed evaluation criteria for officers and staff. Member (Admin & HR) briefed the meeting, noting that the revised reward system would categorize ex-cadre officers (BS-16 and above) and staff (BS-1 to 15) into performance categories determining quarterly reward eligibility. A weighted assessment mechanism involving commissioners, committees, and senior members will be used for transparency.

During the meeting, some members proposed revisiting the weightage assigned to the Assessment Committee. However, most members, including the Chairman, supported the proposed procedure. It was also agreed that the new system would be made IT-based, with PRAL directed to roll out the digital framework within seven days.

The Board further noted that the Customs Reward Rules, 2012 already allow rewards up to 36 months’ basic salary and therefore require no amendment.

While the Board did not support excluding cadre officers from the reward structure, it decided that the matter of exceptional performance rewards for cadre officers would be taken up separately in the next meeting.