Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb has called for using data from PRAL (Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited) and REMIT in digitising the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) tax system.

The remarks came during Aurangzeb’s meeting with Tom Isherwood, Regional Head of Technology and Tax McKinsey & Co. along with McKinsey Partner Ali Malik at the Finance Division on Monday.

As per a statement released by the Finance Division, Aurangzeb, during the meeting, emphasised the need for investment in technology and fostering a cultural shift towards digital governance.

He underscored the government’s commitment to improve tax collection through the FBR’s ongoing efforts in digitisation.

“The minister also cited that the data from PRAL (Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited) and REMIT can be utilized in digitizing FBR’s tax system,” read the statement.

During the meeting, discussions covered the possibility of achieving quick wins by leveraging this data and implementing daily reporting through dashboards to monitor real-time progress.

As per the statement, the meeting was also attended by Minister of State Ali Pervaiz Malik.

The Minister of State discussed how the ongoing exercise could be enhanced by efficiently generating, organising, and analysing data. “He stressed the importance of a data-driven approach to improve overall project outcomes,” read the statement.

Meanwhile, the McKinsey team assured the Finance Minister that they would ensure the completion of the exercise within the given time frame.

Last month, Pakistan signed an agreement with McKinsey and Company, a globally renowned consulting firm, to help Pakistan with the end-to-end digitisation of the tax authority.

McKinsey and Company emerged as the top bidder after thoroughly evaluating technical and financial aspects.