Islamabad (Staff Reporter)
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to identify all institutions, companies, and individuals involved in sales tax fraud within three weeks and submit a detailed report. He also ordered that the system of Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) be subjected to a forensic audit by an international consultancy firm.
The directives were issued during a high-level meeting chaired by the prime minister on Thursday to review reforms in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). The meeting was attended by federal ministers Attaullah Tarar, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Dr. Musadik Malik, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Bilal Azhar Kayani, the FBR chairman, and senior officials from relevant departments.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office Media Wing, the meeting was briefed on FBR’s participation in the annual World Bank Conference held in Washington, where the FBR’s reform case study was widely appreciated. The prime minister commended the FBR team for its performance and progress in ongoing digital reforms, particularly within PRAL.
Officials informed the prime minister about the latest security upgrades in PRAL, including audit vaults, database protection walls, a security operations center, continuous database monitoring, and other digital safeguards. The system now has the capacity to record user IP addresses to prevent data manipulation and ensure transparency in tax collection.
A fact-finding committee presented its report on the sales tax fraud cases that began in 2018–2019, which were attributed to weaknesses in PRAL’s outdated system, lack of oversight, and insecure databases. The committee briefed that several reforms have since been implemented to address these flaws.
Expressing strong displeasure over past tax fraud incidents, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized accountability and transparency. He directed that strict legal action be taken against all individuals and entities identified in the upcoming investigation report.