ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Bilal Azhar Kayani informed the Upper House of the Parliament that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had recovered Rs7.81 billion in penalties from non-filers during the last five tax years, from 2019-20 to 2023-24.
Responding to various questions during Question Hour, the minister said that FBR had introduced stricter policies and enforcement measures to increase tax compliance and address the gap between filers and non-filers. Non-filers now face harsher penalties, including financial, legal, and transactional consequences, he added.
Sharing the details, he said that of the total amount, Rs410,320,556 was recovered from non-filers in the tax year 2019-20, Rs1,173,320,517 in 2020-21, Rs840,673,273 in 2021-22, Rs1,918,080,672 in 2022-23, and Rs3,473,390,759 in 2023-24.
The minister stated that FBR implemented measures such as higher withholding rates, and the recovery of penalties from non-filers contributed to improved revenue collection. He also acknowledged that the non-filer category should eventually be abolished, and all efforts were being made to broaden the tax net across the country.
He mentioned that FBR is currently undergoing a transformation process, and the Prime Minister holds regular weekly meetings to review progress.
In response to another question, the minister stated that embezzlement of 43 articles, including 36 currency articles and 7 gold/silver articles, was uncovered as a result of two detailed audits of the State Warehouse (Valuables) at the Customs House in Lahore, conducted in 2019.
