Shehbaz directs senior FBR officials to hold monthly outreach with Karachi businesses

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday ordered the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to establish regular engagement with Karachi's business community, directing senior tax officials to visit the city every month to address concerns and improve coordination with taxpayers.

The directive was issued during a meeting reviewing the implementation of FBR reforms, where the prime minister instructed senior officials to spend the first week of every month in Karachi to ensure businesses have direct access to tax authorities and that their issues are resolved promptly.

Shehbaz said the government was working to make Pakistan's tax regime more transparent, predictable and business-friendly, stressing that efforts to improve the ease of doing business would help attract investment, expand exports and strengthen confidence among the country's business community.

He also instructed the FBR to prioritise resolving the concerns of taxpayers and to recognise companies that consistently comply with tax laws, saying such businesses should be encouraged at the institutional level.

Calling the private sector the backbone of the national economy, the prime minister said providing businesses with maximum facilitation would support higher production and sustain economic growth.

The meeting also reviewed the FBR's technology-driven enforcement measures, with officials reporting that production monitoring systems have significantly increased tax collection in several major industries.

According to the briefing, the monitoring mechanism generated an additional Rs42 billion in revenue from the sugar sector over the past year, while collections from the cement industry increased by Rs38 billion. The system also contributed an additional Rs15 billion in taxes from the beverages sector.

Officials informed the meeting that production monitoring systems have already been deployed in the tiles and fertiliser industries, while implementation is currently underway in the textile and beverage sectors as part of the FBR's broader reform programme.

Shehbaz said Pakistan's economy had moved onto a path of stability and expressed optimism that the current year would bring stronger economic growth together with increased business and commercial activity.

The meeting was attended by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmad and other senior government officials.