Hassan Zareer appointed as new Tax Commissioner

The Parliament today has approved the appointment of former Deputy Commissioner General of Taxation Hassan Zareer as the new Commissioner General of Taxation.

The position became vacant after former Tax Commissioner Fathuhulla Jameel resigned to contest in the parliamentary elections held earlier this year.

At the time of Zareer's appointment as Tax Commissioner, he was also appointed as the Chairperson of Bank of Maldives (BML) by the bank's board of directors.

In addition to Zareer's nomination, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu also proposed the name of former Commissioner General of Taxation, Yazeed Mohamed, as an alternative option for the post. However, Yazeed did not receive approval from the Parliament.

Both Yazeed and Zareer initially lost their positions at Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) following the 2019 amendment to administrative legislation concerning taxation. Yazeed served as the Commissioner of Taxation, while Zareer held the position of Deputy Commissioner of Taxation.

According to the amendment, new appointments for the two most senior positions at MIRA were required to be made within 30 days of the bill coming into effect. However, neither Yazeed nor Zareer had reapplied for these positions when the announcement was made.