Islamabad, Pakistan – The Federal Government has increased the powers of single-member Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue (ATIR) to decide cases up to Rs. 50 million.
This decision aims to expedite case resolution and reduce the backlog of pending cases before ATIR. Previously, single members could only handle cases up to Rs. 1 million. Pro Pakistani
The government is also considering increasing the number of ATIR benches from 20 to 36 to further enhance its capacity.
To streamline the process, the government has proposed a hybrid e-filing system for taxpayers. While e-filing will be mandatory for the department from the start, taxpayers will have a six-month grace period to transition to online filing.
For nationally significant cases, the Chairman of ATIR will convene a larger bench to deliver a decisive ruling. This will ensure consistency and prevent duplication of effort.
The Law and Justice Division has fully supported these proposals and instructed its staff to implement them. These reforms are expected to significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the ATIR system.
