As part of its ongoing efforts to expand the tax base and increase revenue, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed authorities to take firm action against tax defaulters, as reported by national media.
During the meeting, where officials briefed the prime minister on the installation and monitoring of video analytics in the sugar industry, PM Shehbaz stressed that this technology would help improve revenue collection, curb hoarding, and stabilize prices.
“We are committed to ensuring affordable sugar prices for the public,” he added, while ordering regular monitoring of sugar stocks to maintain a steady supply chain.
The meeting, attended by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik, and senior government officials, saw the premier directing strict and uncompromising action against tax evasion and under-reporting by sugar mills.
Emphasizing that the ongoing digitization efforts of the FBR would generate billions for the national treasury, the PM urged the rapid completion of the tax authority’s value chain digitization and the swift implementation of video analytics in the cement and tobacco industries.
This move follows the recent launch of the FBR’s Faceless Customs Assessment (FCA) System, which is part of its broader tax reforms. Under the FCA, goods declarations filed after midnight on December 14 at Karachi’s Appraisement Collectorates will be assessed by the Central Appraising Unit (CAU).
Additionally, a performance-based incentive mechanism has been introduced to improve the productivity and accountability of Customs appraising officers working in the CAU, rewarding those who perform their duties with integrity and diligence.
