ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has launched a simplified digital tax return form for salaried individuals, designed to make filing easier and more accessible. The new form is concise, user-friendly, and will also be available in Urdu by July 30.
The announcement was made during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to review progress on FBR’s digitisation reforms.
Welcoming the move, the prime minister called it a major step toward citizen-friendly governance. He stressed that tax reforms should focus on the common man’s convenience and directed authorities to establish a dedicated helpline to assist taxpayers. He also ordered that digital invoicing be made available in Urdu to support businesses of all sizes.
Officials briefed the meeting on broader reforms, including the introduction of an AI-based assessment system to improve efficiency and transparency. All businesses will be required to use digital invoicing through the FBR’s online system, with around 20,000 businesses expected to adopt it soon. Transactions will be automatically recorded, eliminating the need for separate sales tax returns. Adoption of international 8-digit HS codes will help prevent fraudulent invoices.
The meeting also reviewed the rollout of the cargo tracking and e-bilty systems for real-time monitoring of goods and better tax enforcement. Traders will be able to submit advance goods declarations before ship arrivals, qualifying for full upfront duty exemptions and faster container clearance.
Prime Minister Sharif praised Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, the FBR chairman, and their teams for their work, calling the AI-based assessment system a landmark achievement. He directed that third-party validation be ensured for all reforms to maintain transparency and ordered a public awareness campaign to inform citizens about the new filing system.
Officials also shared that bidding for the FBR’s central command and control unit would be completed soon, with the system expected to be operational by September to enable centralized data analysis and better decision-making.
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