Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved the development of a digital ecosystem within the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), as part of the government’s ongoing reform efforts, Radio Pakistan reported.
The purpose of a meeting in Islamabad on Saturday to review progress with FBR reforms, the prime minister instructed that globally recognized experts should be engaged in designing and implementing the new digital system.
He instructed that all data-from import and production of raw materials for product production and consumer purchase shells be integrated into a single centralized system to enable real time, end-to-end surveillance.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the system had to be done so effectively that the entire value chain can be monitored digitally. He added that the centralized data should be used to inform strategically financial decision making.
He further emphasized that the key to reducing the tax burden on the common citizen lies in expanding the tax base and eliminating the informal economy.
Read: PM Shehbaz emphasizes digitization, automation to tackle tax evasion
Previously, Prime Minister Shehbaz instructed the immediate implementation of ongoing reforms within FBR, which emphasized the importance of digitization and automation to review Pakistan’s tax system.
The chairman of a high -level review meeting highlighted the prime minister the need to correct what he described as “70 years of wrong management” in the country’s tax framework. He promised maximum relief to honest taxpayers and businesses, but promised strict lawsuits against those involved in tax evasion without concessions.
