KARACHI: The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) announced on Tuesday that the cybersecurity systems of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) have failed, leading to a staggering tax fraud of Rs 14.66 billion.
The FTO revealed that a cyberattack compromised taxpayers’ data, allowing cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities in the FBR’s security systems. This led to fraudulent transactions totaling Rs 81.43 billion, resulting in the significant tax loss.
Last month, reports indicated that the FBR was struggling to meet its monthly revenue targets, achieving only 43% of the goal in the first 18 days of the month. In response, the FBR headquarters issued a letter to the Chief Commissioner of the Corporate Regional Tax Office, expressing concerns over the slow revenue collection pace.
The letter emphasized the need to enhance efforts to meet targets, particularly during the first quarter of the financial year. The FBR has directed the Corporate Regional Tax Office to prioritize recovering outstanding taxes and ensuring timely filing of monthly sales tax returns.
Furthermore, the FBR highlighted the importance of monitoring withholding agents to prevent tax evasion, urging all offices to intensify efforts to meet revenue targets and address ongoing challenges in tax collection.
