Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the authorities to increase the number of Appellate Tribunals from 50 to 100 to expedite the resolution of pending tax cases. He also instructed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to bring affluent individuals under the tax net.
The premier held a meeting with top FBR officials to review the performance of delayed tax projects. He directed the creation of a dashboard to assess the performance of tribunals and the appointment of an FBR deputy chairman to oversee reforms.
According to officials, 83,579 tax-related cases totaling Rs3.2 trillion are pending in courts and tribunals. The government has taken initiatives to resolve outstanding tax matters, with various courts disposing of 63 lawsuits totaling Rs44bn in the last four months.
PM Shehbaz also directed the FBR to hire top lawyers in high-paying cases and complete the digitization process as soon as possible. He emphasized bringing wealthy individuals into the tax net while ensuring the underprivileged are not burdened.
The FBR has identified 4.9m potential taxpayers using sophisticated technology. Additionally, 150,000 retailers have registered through the FBR’s mobile app since April 1. The premier directed the implementation of a unified sales tax system for all taxpayers by October.
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