Islamabad (HRNW)- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to intensify enforcement measures and accelerate ongoing reforms to achieve the government’s tax revenue targets.
The prime minister chaired a weekly review meeting on FBR reforms, where he directed officials to further speed up implementation of the reform agenda and welcomed growing confidence among the business community in the government’s tax measures.
Prime Minister Shehbaz directed the FBR Chairman and senior officers to spend two days every month in Lahore and Karachi to engage with the business community and address tax-related issues. He also instructed the FBR to strengthen enforcement against smuggling, tax evasion and illegal business activities.
The prime minister welcomed recent FBR actions against illegal cigarette factories in Chakwal and Swabi and directed that officers with good reputations and integrity be appointed to sensitive positions within the tax authority.
He also ordered the timely completion of the proposed faceless system for inland revenue, directing the FBR to ensure its full nationwide rollout by 2027.
The meeting was informed that the first phase of the faceless inland revenue system will become operational from October 1, 2026. Based on artificial intelligence and modern technology, the system is a key component of the FBR’s ongoing digitization reforms and will include a National Faceless Audit Wing for tax return audits and a Faceless Assessment Unit for tax assessments.
Under the new system, tax cases will be assigned randomly without regard to geographical boundaries, aimed at improving transparency and reducing direct interaction between taxpayers and tax officials.
The FBR Chairman briefed the meeting on his visits to Karachi during the first week of each month and said he had met representatives of seven major commercial institutions to hear their concerns. He said several issues raised by the business community were resolved immediately.
The chairman further said that time-bound standard operating procedures are being introduced for exporters’ tax refunds. He also briefed the meeting on intelligence-based operations against illegal cigarette factories in Chakwal and Swabi, where factories were sealed and illegal cigarette stocks and machinery were seized.
The meeting was attended by Federal Ministers Azam Nazir Tarar, Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar and Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar, State Bank Governor Jamil Ahmed, and senior officials from relevant institutions.
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