Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government is committed to ending the culture of tax evasion and corruption that have burdened honest taxpayers for decades.
The Finance Ministry and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) have intensified their campaign against corruption and revenue leakages, with officials calling it a “continuous war” to protect public money and broaden the tax base.
Prime Minister has lauded the efforts of the Finance Ministry and FBR, calling the campaign vital for economic stability
In a major push over the last 2.5 years, the government has deployed Artificial Intelligence and digital technology to plug leakages, particularly in sales tax collection.
According to official data, close to Rs 60 billion has been recovered from just the sugar and cement sectors through AI-driven monitoring, data reconciliation, and audit trails. The system flagged under-reporting, fake invoices, and sales tax evasion in real time.
Officials said the technology integration has allowed FBR to track production, dispatch, and sales at factory level, making it harder for large taxpayers to under-declare output.
Last fiscal year, FBR collected over Rs 13 trillion marking one of the highest annual tax collections in the country’s history.
Finance Ministry officials credit the surge to a combination of digitization, stricter enforcement, and broadening of the tax net
As part of the accountability drive, 243 senior FBR officers of “questionable repute” have been suspended or sidelined. The ministry said the action was taken after internal audits, performance reviews, and complaints of facilitation in tax fraud.
“We are cleaning the house from within. No one involved in corruption or protecting leakages will be spared, regardless of rank,”_ a senior Finance Ministry official said.
In a statement, the PM said the government is committed to ending the culture of tax evasion and leakages that have burdened honest taxpayers for decades.
”Using technology to ensure transparency and recovering billions from sectors that were previously untouchable shows that this war against corruption will continue without fear or favor,”the PM said.
He directed that the crackdown be expanded to other high-risk sectors and that FBR continue to use AI tools to detect fraud and improve compliance.
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