ISLAMABAD, AUGUST 20: The total amount of money owed to exporters and businesses for unpaid sales tax refunds has increased to Rs. 85 billion so far, this fiscal year. The important export industries of sporting goods, surgical equipment, leather products, carpets, and textiles owe the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) a minimum of Rs. 30 billion.
Sui Southern Gas Company Limited alone is currently facing a Rs. 25 billion sales tax return loads. Refunds totaling Rs. 30 billion are, however, being delayed because of systemic non-claim problems. Refunds that have been correctly detected in the system are being completed within 72 hours, according to sources close to FBR. Additionally, the FBR has been asked by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to expedite refund payments.
In addition, the agency has given exporters in the five main sectors until June 2025 to complete these reimbursements. Ten percent of the reimbursements will be cleared each month in order to control the backlog.
FBR has asked all Regional Tax Offices (RTOs) and Large Taxpayer Offices (LTOs) for data in order to rectify these delays. The sources also mentioned the establishment of a monitoring unit within the FBR to supervise the processing of sales tax refunds for the export industry.
