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The telecommunications sector in Pakistan has reached an agreement with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to deactivate the Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) of more than half a million individuals who have not filed their tax returns.
However, the companies have asked for a timeframe of one to 1.5 weeks to execute this action effectively.
This decision follows a series of meetings held by FBR Chairman Malik Amjed Zubair Tiwana with officials from telecom companies and representatives from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) spanning three days.
The focal point of these discussions was the enforcement of the Income Tax General Order (ITGO) issued by the FBR, which mandates the deactivation of SIMs belonging to 506,671 non-filers for the year 2023.
Telecom companies voiced their reservations regarding the SIM deactivation, pointing out that although the law requiring SIM deactivation for non-filers had been in existence for two years, it had not been rigorously enforced until now.
They argued that implementing this measure abruptly after two years was unjust.
Moreover, they emphasized that the FBR had the authority to disconnect power and gas supplies to non-filers under the same law and suggested that this provision should also be enforced.
The FBR clarified that it was within the government’s discretion to decide how and when to exercise its powers, underscoring that simultaneous implementation of all powers conferred by the law was not obligatory.