The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has imposed a ban on the purchase of additional vehicles after recently acquiring more than 1,000 new Honda City cars for revenue officers, as the government begins implementing strict austerity measures.
Despite the large expansion of its official fleet, the move did not result in significant revenue gains, so now tighter spending controls have been sought.
The measures are part of the austerity plan directed by Shehbaz Sharif, aimed at reducing government expenditures and conserving energy amid the current economic and regional challenges.
Under the directives, 60 percent of official vehicles will be parked, while fuel expenditures are to be reduced by 50 percent. Additionally, up to half of the workforce will work from home to cut operational costs.
For lower and mid-level employees ranging from BS-1 to BS-16, departments will implement a staff rotation system. Senior officials in BS-20 and above have been requested to voluntarily surrender two days’ salary as part of the austerity initiative.
Furthermore, the non-employee related expenditure (Non-ERE) budget has been reduced by 20 percent.
To ensure compliance, an oversight committee has been formed, and weekly implementation reports have been made mandatory. All FBR offices across the country have been instructed to strictly follow the new cost-cutting measures.
