Cams to detect tax evasion
The Punjab government has decided to install surveillance cameras at marriage halls, marquees, farmhouses and major food chains to ensure monitoring of business transactions and curb tax evasion.
The decision was taken during a meeting on provincial revenue chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday. Officials briefed participants on collection of levies and the performance of the Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA).
The officials said every transaction carried out at large food chains, marriage halls and commercial farmhouses would be recorded and monitored.
It was decided that strict action would be taken against businesses involved in issuing fake receipts or concealing sales. The chief minister directed relevant authorities to submit weekly reports on tax collection and sectoral mapping, while also ordering a gradual transition from cash based towards digital payment systems.
The participants discussed the possibility of installing digital payment facilities at major restaurants to replace cash transactions and improve transparency and documentation of economic activities.
"If the world can move from cash to digital payments, why can't Pakistan?" the CM remarked, reiterating a policy of zero tolerance against tax evasion. "The camera's eye will see it, and the digital system will detect it as well," she said.
The officials said a revenue target of Rs528.5 billion had been set for the fiscal year 2026-27.
They said Punjab's revenue collection had increased by 38 per cent from Rs250 billion to Rs346 billion. The operational reach of the PRA has been expanded from 10 to 26 districts across the province.
The participants were informed that the PRA had established dedicated Intelligence and Investigation, taxpayer audit, and legal wings to strengthen enforcement and compliance.
Expressing satisfaction over the authority's performance, the chief minister directed officials to enhance its enforcement, human resource and technological capacity.
She instructed the PRA to strengthen its awareness campaigns to encourage tax compliance. She said that whenever enforcement action is taken, the reasons should be communicated to the citizens in a comprehensive and transparent manner.
Chairing another meeting, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz lauded the health department, international partners and the provincial polio eradication team after the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed that environmental samples collected from 19 districts of Punjab had tested negative for poliovirus. Environmental samples from Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Attock, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujranwala, Gujrat and Jhang tested negative along with Khanewal, Mianwali, Okara, Rajanpur, Rawalpindi, Rahim Yar Khan, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Sialkot.