Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has praised the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Ministry of Finance for achieving a historic 42% increase in federal tax revenue for the fiscal year 2024-25, the highest growth in a decade.
The recognition came during a weekly high-level review meeting on tax reforms and digitization, chaired by the Prime Minister. Officials informed him that new tax laws and stronger enforcement had helped collect an additional Rs865 billion compared to last year. The federal revenue-to-GDP ratio also improved to 11.3%, marking a year-on-year rise of 1.5 percentage points.
PM Shehbaz emphasized there would be zero tolerance for complacency in meeting economic goals and reaffirmed his commitment to closely monitor revenue and reform progress. He instructed the FBR to treat taxpayers respectfully and called on all public sector bodies to fully cooperate with tax authorities.
Highlighting the need to broaden the tax base, he directed greater use of digital tools and stricter compliance measures. Among the directives issued were: expanding the Track and Trace Digital Production System across production and distribution, mandating digitization for non-compliant industries, extending the Point of Sale (POS) system in retail to enhance transparency, and maintaining open communication with businesses to ensure cooperation.
The Prime Minister also congratulated officials on passing the federal budget for FY2025–26 and reiterated the government’s determination to strengthen Pakistan’s economic stability.
Currently, the Track and Trace system operates in sugar, tobacco, and fertilizer sectors, with plans to extend it to cement and more industries soon.
The meeting was attended by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, the FBR chairman, and senior officials.
