Islamabad, 9 September 2025(Kamran Raja): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting today to review measures for the recognition of taxpayers, strengthening of the tax system, and actions against tax evasion. The Prime Minister directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to expedite completion of the Income Tax and Sales Taxpayers Directory in order to duly acknowledge the contribution of responsible citizens who pay their taxes regularly. He emphasized that regular taxpayers are the backbone of the national economy. The Prime Minister underscored that recognizing taxpayers while taking strict measures against tax evaders would help broaden the tax net. He instructed FBR to ensure a business-friendly environment and maximum facilitation for taxpayers.
The Prime Minister further directed FBR to engage professional expertise for identifying tax evaders and recovering evaded revenues. He stated that in addition to utilizing FBR’s in-house resources, services from the private sector should also be employed for effective detection of individuals and companies involved in tax evasion. The Prime Minister also stressed the need to launch a public awareness campaign to inform citizens about the government’s initiatives against tax evasion. Regarding customs clearance, the Prime Minister directed that leading international auditors be engaged for third-party evaluation of misdeclaration and under-invoicing. He emphasized that such third-party audits must continue to help identify gaps in the system and bring further improvements. During the briefing, the Prime Minister was apprised of the measures being undertaken for identification of tax evaders, completion of the taxpayers directory, and the role of “super auditors” in enhancing revenue collection. He was informed that a scientific auditing mechanism has been established for third-party review of customs clearance. Under this mechanism, super auditors have been appointed to examine customs clearance and the risk management system in detail. The findings of these audits will be used to further strengthen the risk management system.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Federal Minister for Climate Change Dr. Musadik Masood Malik, Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervez Malik, and senior officials of relevant departments.