Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to bolster its enforcement strategies to boost revenues and reduce tax evasion. During a review meeting in Islamabad, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of integrating automated monitoring within major productive sectors to augment tax revenues.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Prime Minister urged the Drug Regulatory Authority to prioritize the serialization of domestically manufactured medicines. Shehbaz Sharif also commended the economic team for appointing experts based on merit within the executive team of Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) and praised their efforts to enhance the institution’s effectiveness.

The Prime Minister directed the development of the Auto Tax System, Digital Invoicing System (IRIS), and other taxpayer applications in Urdu and other local languages. The meeting highlighted the deployment of technology-based systems for monitoring production across various sectors, which have already contributed to increased tax revenues, with additional systems set to become operational shortly.

Technologies such as video analytics, unit counting, barcode scanning, stamping, and serialization are being deployed to track production. Monitoring efforts at sugar, cement, cigarette, and fertilizer factories have reportedly generated increased revenue, while similar measures are underway in the textile, leather, paper, automobile, and beverage sectors, with expectations of generating significant additional tax collections.

The meeting also covered recent amendments to the law governing Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees, aimed at ensuring transparency and bolstering taxpayer confidence. Additionally, the new executive team of PRAL is now operational, and the digital invoicing system has been fully activated.

FBR’s new data center, designed to meet modern requirements, has been completed, incorporating a GPS tracking system for petroleum products. Moreover, a digital cargo tracking system, specifically the e-bility system, has been introduced to combat smuggling and enhance cargo tracking within the country.