ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that due to years of collusion, corruption, and tax evasion within the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), trillions of rupees from the national treasury go into the pockets of a few people.
Addressing the participants of the National Workshop on Balochistan, the premier said that transparent governance is the only effective way to bring Pakistan out of economic instability, poverty, debt burden, and corruption.
This process has not only damaged the national economy but also increased poverty, economic hardship, and debt burden, he said, adding that improved coordination and reforms enabled the FBR to collect an additional Rs800 billion in taxes during the last fiscal year.
The remarks come as the internal accountability campaign by the Finance Ministry and the FBR intensified.
As per sources, due to the crackdown, especially in sales tax, FBR revenues have grown by roughly 40 percent over the past two years, topping Rs 13 trillion last year.
Officials say the tax-collecting body has recovered close to Rs 60 billion from the sugar and cement sectors alone using AI-assisted enforcement.
According to the data, which covers August 2024 through mid-2026, the FBR has suspended 211 senior officers, ranking from grade 16 to grade 21, within the Inland Revenue Service (IRS), sharply up from a previous annual average of 33 suspensions.
A further 32 officers, including from both the IRS and Pakistan Customs, have been sidelined for being of “questionable repute,” with most of them senior officials in grade 20 or higher who were pulled from operational roles.
Sources said that the authority has also increased major disciplinary penalties steadily, rising from 38 cases in fiscal year 2023-24 to 49 in 2024-25, before reaching 75 by 2025-26.
