Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for measures on Tuesday to expand the tax net, ordering the authorities concerned to take strict measures against individuals and the sectors involved in tax evasion.
Chairing an examination meeting on the expansion of the tax base and the increase in tax revenue, Prime Minister Shehbaz said that individuals and sectors capable of paying taxes should be introduced into the tax net.
He also instructed the strict responsibility of officers and staff helping tax escapes.
The Prime Minister praised the efforts of the government’s economic team for having quickly managed to achieve the FBR income targets for the current financial year.
He declared that the widening of the tax net was the priority of the government to reduce the tax burden of the ordinary man by reducing their tax rates.
The Prime Minister has ordered to finish digital surveillance in cement and other sectors by next month. In addition, efforts to increase tax revenue from the tobacco sector should be accelerated in collaboration with the provinces.
He ordered that cases related to current tax should be continued effectively to ensure the recovery of the country’s money.
“By the grace of Allah, the national economy is stable and evolves towards growth,” he said, and called for collective efforts for the development of the country.
During the briefing, the participants were informed that the complete implementation of the track and trace system in the cement factories at the national level led to a significant increase in billions of tax revenue. With the implementation of this system in the sugar industry, tax revenues increased from 35% from November 2024 to April 2025.
It has been said that the target of tax revenues equivalent to 10.6% of GDP will be achieved following FBR reforms.