ABBOTTABAD: The closure of the regional office of the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) in Abbottabad has raised concerns among traders and tax practitioners, who fear increased hardships and delays in the resolution of tax-related grievances.
The closure was implemented on December 31, 2025, along with five other FTO regional offices across the country.The business community of Hazara Division, in collaboration with the Hazara Tax Bar Association, has urged Federal Tax Ombudsman Zafar Hijazi to restore the Abbottabad office, which has been serving the entire Hazara region and has remained closely linked with the Regional Tax Office (RTO) Abbottabad.
They stated that, in addition to Abbottabad, the regional FTO office had been providing services to eight districts, offering relief in complaints against orders issued by Income Tax and Sales Tax officers in Abbottabad, Haripur, and Mansehra.
President of the Abbottabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Iftikhar Ahmad, along with other office-bearers, President of the Hazara Tax Bar Association Rashid Javed, and a number of tax practitioners requested the Federal Tax Ombudsman to restore the office in the larger public interest, particularly for residents of far-flung areas of Hazara Division.
They emphasized that the Abbottabad office had been providing maximum relief to the business community by saving valuable time and travel costs for taxpayers and tax advisers, who would otherwise be compelled to travel to Peshawar, Rawalpindi, or Islamabad for redressal of their grievances.
Following the closure, all matters will now be referred to Peshawar or Rawalpindi, resulting in additional financial and logistical burdens for taxpayers.The Abbottabad FTO office was established nearly 10 years ago and has played a significant role in resolving tax-related disputes in the region.
It is noteworthy that while the Hyderabad office was initially included among the six offices proposed for closure, it has since been retained.Stakeholders demanded that the Abbottabad office, being the second FTO office in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, should be retained as well in the public interest.
