Islamabad: Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Bilal Azhar Kayani informed the Senate on Thursday that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has recovered Rs 7.81 billion in penalties from non-filers during the last five tax years, spanning 2019-20 to 2023-24. The disclosure was made during Question Hour in the upper house of Parliament.
The minister highlighted that the FBR has adopted stricter policies and enforcement mechanisms to enhance tax compliance and narrow the gap between filers and non-filers. He said non-filers now face stringent penalties including financial, legal, and transactional restrictions.
Providing a year-wise breakdown of collections from non-filers, Kayani stated that Rs 410.3 million was recovered in 2019-20, Rs 1.17 billion in 2020-21, Rs 840.6 million in 2021-22, Rs 1.91 billion in 2022-23, and Rs 3.47 billion in 2023-24.
He added that measures such as higher withholding tax rates and effective recovery of penalties have contributed significantly to improved revenue collection. Kayani further emphasized that the government is working to eliminate the category of non-filers entirely to broaden the country’s tax base.
Addressing a separate question, the minister revealed that a detailed audit of the State Warehouse (Valuables) at the Custom House in Lahore uncovered embezzlement involving 43 articles, including 36 currency items and seven gold or silver items, during audits conducted in 2019.
Kayani also noted that the FBR is currently undergoing a transformation process, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif personally reviewing progress in weekly meetings.
