Corrupt taxmen to face the music, says PM

A day after the FBR sent more than two dozen senior officers in the Inland Revenue and the Customs departments to the admin pool as officers on special duties (OSDs), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday vowed not to spare those plundering the public kitty.

The prime minister, while chairing a meeting to review the FBR reforms process, said that tax evaders and the officers and staffers facilitating them would be punished. He added that taxpayers fulfilling their responsibilities on time would also be duly acknowledged.

The prime minister, calling the digitisation of the taxation system government’s priority to prevent tax evasion worth billions of rupees, directed the authorities concerned to immediately create a dashboard to monitor the ongoing digitisation and implementation of the reforms.

The prime minister instructed to bring taxable non-filers into the tax net and revoke the discretionary powers of the customs appraisers, and sought an implementation report from FBR chairman within 24 hours.

Refinery Policy

The Cabinet Committee on Energy, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Friday approved the extension of six months in the Refinery Policy 2023 regarding the upgrading of the existing refineries.

The committee directed the Ministry of Petroleum to take into confidence the oil refineries established in the country and prepare a comprehensive plan for the upgrade on a priority basis.

The committee was also presented with a detailed report on the circular debt of the electricity sector from July 2023 to May 2024.