ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed the concerned authorities to appoint competent officials in appellate tribunals to ensure prompt disposal of court matters pertaining to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)’s revenue collection. The prime minister, while chairing a meeting to review the matters regarding the appellate tribunals of Inland Revenue, called for necessary measures to clear the backlog of cases and warned against any laxity.
Sharif also directed the prompt disposal of all the tax-related cases pending before different courts, emphasizing the urgency of addressing legal disputes that hinder revenue collection.
He said that top-notch people of global reputation should be appointed in the tribunals and offer them competitive pay and packages that match their professional qualifications.
FBR tax collection: Contribution of LTO Karachi highest
He expressed satisfaction over the pace of work being done to reform FBR as well as the Faceless Customs Assessment System (FCAS), installed at Karachi Port to combat corruption, has significantly shorten the clearance time.
The meeting also reviewed progress on reforms in Inland Revenue Appellate Tribunals, with the prime minister directing the officials to ensure timely completion of the reforms.
With directives to take a tough stance on tax evasion, leaving no room for leniency, the prime minister reiterated the government’s resolve to bring tax evaders into the tax net to take the burden off the poor.
This is pertinent to mention that FBR failed to achieve its monthly tax collection target of December 2024, as it managed to collect Rs1,326 billion in December 2024 against the assigned target of Rs1,373 billion in December 2024.
Overall, FBR collected Rs5,623 billion in six months (July-December) 2024-25 against the assigned target of Rs6,009 billion for this period.
The FBR suffered massive shortfall in revenue collection of Rs386 billion during first six months of 2024-25 against the assigned target of Rs6,009 billion for this period.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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