FBR told to focus on simplifying tax collection system

E-Paper | April 24, 2026

Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar on Wednesday instructed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to focus on simplifying the tax collection system while acknowledging the need for new legislation in this regard, Radio Pakistan reported.

The state minister's directives came during a speech at the three-day International Conference on Taxation at the FBR's Lahore office.

Read: What Pakistan can learn about tax reforms from developing countries

Azhar, as per Radio Pakistan, also delivered a media briefing where he said that he plans on asking parliament for a special tax relief for small retailers.

However, he also warned that no leniency will be shown during the drive to recover taxes.

The FBR, with an eye on accelerating revenue collection, has reportedly already devised a comprehensive plan for tax reforms, one of which is the simplification of the tax system.

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Business

FBR readies plan to boost collection in six months

What Pakistan can learn about tax reforms from developing countries

No vision for tax reform

M. Saeed

Feb 06, 2019 08:44pm

Self assessment with random check on 10% returns should be readopted with simple one page return forms for individual's income tax.

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Hassan Shabbir

Feb 06, 2019 08:52pm

Another headliner with 'should', 'would' and must focus...

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Lahori kid

Feb 06, 2019 09:01pm

To start your journey of overcoming the revenue and tax collection, you cannot start by giving relief to the businesses, you start by getting everyone to pay their share of taxes, that's how the government will overcome the deficiencies in tax collection versus expenditure, once the targets are met, then you work on giving relief. Make it a performance based relief, the more efficient you are in collecting and paying taxes, you would get a tax relief, let people work for relief, stop handing out money to people who have yet to pay taxes. Make business decisions, not emotional ones.

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sami

Feb 06, 2019 09:21pm

Simple formula: Gross Income = NET TAX

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Farhan

Feb 06, 2019 10:03pm

Certainly a must do. We are in top five to have most complicated tax system

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Feb 07, 2019 06:48am

Easy. Go straight to Zainab Market, Empress Market, Bundoo Khan, BBQ Tonight, and Mr. Burger. Ask each business to produce their tax corporate tax return and the personal tax return of every director with equity. You’ll collect a couple billion PKR within two months if you force them to pay penalties based on last years revenues and penalize them for the last 5 years of not paying. Then maybe you’ll stop focusing on auditing my business that actually pays taxes and issue my refund you’ve been sitting on for 7 years because the country is really bankrupt and you’re not ready to admit it.

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SYED ADNAN SHAFQAT

Feb 07, 2019 09:22am

Mr. Hammad make an effort to develop awareness of depositing monthly tax payments by corporate companies instead of final tax liability valued at the end of assessment year, which will help FBR to run its operations on monthly basis and easy for companies to pay the less amount instead of huge amount at the end of year, business operations always not maintain as same throughout the year.... Just divide the estimated tax liability / 12 and pay accordingly, then at the end of year, adjust the full tax liability with the actual.....an humble suggestion from a citizen of Pakistan

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