Shehbaz Sharif chairs a four-hour-long review meeting focused on FBR reforms and digitisation
\n Islamabad
\nPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials to bring 4.9 million wealthy and affluent individuals into the tax net without placing additional burdens on the poor. According to a statement from the Prime Minister\u2019s Office on Thursday, PM Sharif chaired a four-hour-long review meeting focused on FBR reforms and digitisation. The session included briefings on the progress of Inland Revenue and Customs reforms over the past eight weeks.
\n\u201cThe digitisation process of the FBR is being overseen by internationally renowned consultants McKinsey, and the initial results are promising,\u201d an FBR spokesperson noted.
\nPrime Minister Sharif highlighted a significant achievement: \u201cIn the last four months, an Rs800 billion tax refund fraud was detected. We will further improve the tax refund system,\u201d he said. He also expressed concern over the delays in several FBR reform projects, deeming them \u201cextremely regrettable.\u201d The FBR briefing revealed that 83,579 tax-related cases, amounting to Rs3.2 trillion, are pending in various courts and tribunals. \u201cSince the current government\u2019s tenure, various measures have been taken to resolve tax cases, with 63 cases worth Rs44 billion settled in the last four months,\u201d the spokesperson added.
\nAdvanced technology has identified 4.9 million individuals with the capacity to pay taxes. The prime minister directed FBR officials to prioritise taxing the wealthy and affluent among them while sparing the poor.
\nThe meeting also discussed the FBR\u2019s trader-friendly mobile application, which has registered 150,000 retailers since April 1, 2024. PM Sharif urged continued consultations with retailers to make this system more effective.
\nThe premier instructed to increase the number of appellate tribunals to expedite tax case resolutions, aiming for 100 tribunals. He also ordered the establishment of a performance dashboard for these tribunals.
\nPM Sharif emphasised that there should be no delays in the payment of sales tax refunds and called for an immediate strategy to recover illegal refunds granted in the past. \u201cThe Fraud Detection and Investigation Department of the FBR must be fully digitised,\u201d he asserted. He further directed the integration of all ongoing FBR reform projects into a centralised system and advocated for the use of state-of-the-art technology and skilled personnel in the digitisation efforts.
\n\u201cThere will be no delay in providing funds for upgrading the customs system,\u201d PM Sharif affirmed. He instructed the FBR to present strategies for new system software design and implementation, and for reforms in the Pakistan Revenuew Automation Authority (PRAL).
\nThe FBR officials announced the implementation of the Integrated Transit Trade Management System (ITTMS) at the Pakistan-Afghanistan borders of Torkham and Chaman starting October 2024. \u201cInternational standard one-window facilities will be established,\u201d they said.
\nThe development of the Automated Entry-Exit System (AEES), based on advanced scanning technology and linked to the Web-Based One Customs and Pakistan Single Window, has also begun. Initially, AEES will be implemented at Karachi\u2019s four ports and the airports in Karachi, Multan, and Peshawar. PM Sharif has also instructed its implementation at Gwadar port.
\nLastly, FBR officials introduced the Single Sales Tax Return system, already implemented in the telecom sector, which will connect FBR with revenue authorities nationwide. PM Sharif mandated the application of this system to all taxpayers by October 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Shehbaz Sharif chairs a four-hour-long review meeting focused on FBR reforms and digitisation Islamabad Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials to bring 4.9 million wealthy and affluent individuals into the tax net without placing additional burdens on the poor. According to a statement from the Prime Minister\u2019s Office on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":419039,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-419037","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n