Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered authorities to digitise all industrial production processes, bringing them into the tax net, especially tax defaulters.
The prime minister gave these directives while chairing a weekly review meeting on Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) digitisation and other reforms on Wednesday.
According to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Shehbaz directed that the Track and Trace Digital Production System be integrated into the production and delivery stages of goods to bring all production into the tax net.
The prime minister further directed the expansion of the scope of FBR’s Point of Sale (POS) system in the retail sector.
During the meeting, the premier was briefed on the progress of reform initiatives in the FBR.
The briefing noted that the Track and Trace Digital Production System has so far been fully implemented in the sugar, tobacco, and fertiliser industries and will soon be fully rolled out to the cement and other sectors.
The prime minister instructed the FBR to keep all channels open to facilitate the business community and taxpayers.
PM Shehbaz appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Finance and the FBR for achieving a 42% increase in federal tax revenues in FY 2024–25, the highest in the last ten years.
It was learnt that Rs865 billion in additional revenue was collected in FY2024–25 compared to the previous year through reforms and the enforcement of tax laws — a historic eightfold increase.
The briefing further stated that the federal revenue to GDP ratio stood at 11.3% in FY 2024–25, which is 1.5 percentage points higher than the previous year.
PM Shehbaz directed that all institutions must work with full dedication to achieve revenue and economic goals in the new fiscal year.
“No carelessness will be tolerated in achieving economic targets for Pakistan’s prosperous future,” said the Prime Minister.
“I am personally supervising all stages of revenue collection and the achievement of economic goals,” he added.
PM instructed FBR officers to treat the public with dignity and called on all government departments to fully cooperate with the FBR for the development of the national economy.