Establishment of CRB had featured in the government´s budget speech in the past, but it had failed to implement the plan in the absence of clear model for operation. But the task force has given an extensive proposal on how the government through the board can efficiently sustain recent high revenue growth rate and free revenue administration from corruption. [break]
The five-member task force led by Professor Dr Mahan Dahal has proposed the government to place the CRB under Ministry of Finance, but has pushed for its establishment under a separate law so as to ensure autonomy and authority for it.
“The board will function as the government´s revenue advisor and 25-member Governing Council chaired by Minister of Finance will decide on its operation,” says the task force report submitted to Ministry of Finance recently.
The governing council will have representations from all revenue departments and authorities. To oversee the daily administrative operations, the task force has suggested forming a five-member executive board under the Chairmanship of Revenue Secretary.
If the government accepts the proposal, the executive board will have a separate office and revenue departments including Inland Revenue Department and Customs Department will be placed under it.
Likewise, the task force has suggested the government to convert the existing Revenue Administration Training Center into Center for Revenue Excellence for conducting revenue related studies, investigations and generating policy suggestions.
To control the revenue leakage, it has mooted formation of a separate and authoritative Revenue Leakage Investigation Bureau, placing it directly under the executive body of the CRB.
The task force has also proposed the formation of a Review Panel as a separate and functional body to review on complaints and cases filed by the taxpayers. Such a panel will mainly decide on cases wherein taxpayers express dissatisfaction over customs valuation, income tax, VAT and excise assessment done by the officials concerned.
“Given the nature of the job, the panel should be given complete autonomy in its decisions,” the task force has said and suggested the government to delineate its responsibility and authority in the CRB Act itself.
The task force has recommended the government to grant complete operational freedom to the board authority and envisage building up of a professional relationship between the CRB and Ministry of Finance.
It has also suggested the government to revise the board´s structure in the context of country transforming into federal structure.
In the long-term, it has also suggested the government to convert the board into a separate and completely autonomous Revenue Ministry and merge the Ministry of Finance and National Planning Commission into one Ministry of Finance and Planning.
The task force has also suggested the government to adopt carrot and stick administrative policy in CRB by provisioning rewards for the best performers and instant punishment for corrupt officials.
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