ISLAMABAD, JULY20: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to expedite its digitization efforts following the discovery of an 800 billion rupee tax refund fraud in the last four months. She also expressed regret for the delays in implementing various reform projects within the FBR.
During the meeting, it was disclosed that 83,579 tax-related cases valued at 3.2 trillion rupees remain pending in various courts and tribunals. The current government has been actively working to resolve these cases, with 63 cases valued at 44 billion rupees already settled in the last four months,with the use of cutting-edge technology, 4.9 million tax-paying individuals have been identified. In order to prevent further burdening the impoverished, PM Shehbaz directed the FBR to give priority to bringing these wealthy people under the tax system.
The 150,000 retailers that have registered since April via a trader-friendly mobile phone system were also emphasized during the conference. PM Shehbaz asked for extending the number of appeal tribunals to 100 in order to speed up case determination and suggested ongoing interaction with retailers to strengthen this system. Additionally, he oversaw the development of a dashboard to evaluate the effectiveness of appellate courts handling customs matters. Additionally,
The Prime Minister also emphasized the necessity of centralizing all ongoing reform initiatives under a single strategy and completely digitizing the Fraud Detection and Investigation Department of the FBR. The directions issued by PM Shehbaz are intended to safeguard the least fortunate while simultaneously modernizing the FBR, improving revenue collection, and guaranteeing a fair tax system.
