ISLAMABAD: The government is reevaluating the powers granted to Fed­eral Board of Revenue (FBR) officers to arrest suspected tax evaders and add­ing guardrails to prev­ent arbitrary detentions after concerns expressed by businesspeople and lawmakers over the blanket authority and its potential misuse.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday formed a committee to reexamine the matter and recommend stringent safeguards to prevent the misuse of powers by tax officers.

FBR Chairman Mah­mood Langrial told Dawn that the provisions could be revised to mandate the permission of multiple senior officers before any arrest.

In the Finance Bill introduced last week, the government proposed amendments to the Sales Tax Act, 1990, to allow FBR officers to investigate tax fraud and make arrests.

As per the proposed amendments, assistant or deputy commissioners could arrest tax defaulters after seeking approval from the commissioner.

The proposed Section 37AA reads: “The officer of Inland Revenue, during the investigation, having reason to believe on the basis of evidence that actions of any person may have caused or attempted to........

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