The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is gearing up to implement geo-tagged surveys in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, aiming to identify businesses that have yet to fully integrate Point of Sale (POS) systems.
Under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to meet the Rs. 50 billion indicative target, the FBR is accelerating enforcement actions, bypassing the wait for the 2025-26 budget.
To achieve this, the FBR will deploy on-ground teams with vehicles to survey large shopping malls and commercial areas. These teams will target retailers and wholesalers who either lack POS systems or underreport transactions. Current estimates suggest that 50,000 to 100,000 shops need to adopt POS systems.
In tandem, a penalty framework is being developed for non-compliant businesses. A similar enforcement mechanism is already operational in restaurants and hotels within Islamabad.
Last week, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb noted an increase in declared tax payments by traders, reaching Rs. 413 billion this fiscal year—more than double the Rs. 187 billion reported the previous year. However, the FBR highlights that many of these declared payments involve adjustments rather than complete remittances.
Following a revision of Pakistan’s annual tax collection target, now reduced from Rs. 12,970 billion to Rs. 12,332 billion, the FBR faces mounting pressure to meet the revised figure. So far, Rs. 8.43 trillion has been collected in the July-March period, leaving the tax authority with significant ground to cover before the June 30, 2025, deadline.