The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has blocked the mobile phone SIMs of 228,000 individuals who did not file income tax returns for the tax year 2023. However, the SIMs of 62,000 individuals have been restored after they filed their returns in compliance with the FBR’s Income Tax General Order (ITGO).
The FBR continues to send batches of non-filers’ data to telecom companies for SIM blocking. The telecom companies are providing compliance reports by blocking the SIMs of non-filers as per the FBR’s instructions. The FBR is sending data of 5,000 mobile SIMs to telecom companies daily for blocking.
Initially, the FBR identified 2.4 million potential taxpayers who were not on the tax rolls. Notices were issued to these individuals, and the FBR selected over 500,000 out of the 2.4 million for SIM blockade based on the criteria that they had declared taxable income in one of the past three years but did not file their returns for tax year 2023.
The FBR’s move to block non-filers’ SIMs aims to broaden the tax base and ensure compliance with tax regulations. It signifies a significant step towards enhancing tax collection and enforcement mechanisms in Pakistan.
