Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed authorities to target tax defaulters and enforce strict measures to bring them into the tax net. His comments came during a crucial review meeting on strategies to enhance revenue collection, held on Saturday.
Officials updated the Prime Minister on the progress of installing and monitoring video analytics in the sugar industry, a move designed to improve revenue collection and price stability. “Improving the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) performance through technology is the government’s top priority,” PM stated.
The Prime Minister highlighted that video analytics would not only enhance revenue collection but also help eliminate hoarding and stabilise sugar prices. “Our utmost effort is to ensure the availability of sugar at affordable prices for the public,” he added, emphasising the importance of regular monitoring of sugar stocks to maintain an uninterrupted supply chain.
PM also called for stringent actions against tax evasion and under-reporting by sugar mills. He stressed that ongoing digitisation measures at the FBR would bring significant financial benefits to the national treasury.
In addition, the Prime Minister urged the swift completion of FBR’s value chain digitisation and called for the rapid implementation of video analytics in the cement and tobacco industries.
The meeting was attended by several senior officials, including Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik.