Karachi, April 8, 2025 – Divago, a prominent pharmacy retail chain in Pakistan, announced that one of its outlets, previously sealed by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), has now been de-sealed after the company addressed the required tax compliance issues.
According to an official statement from Divago, the outlet located at Jail Chowrangi, Shaheed-e-Millat Road, was sealed by the Medium Tax Office (MTO) Karachi due to violations of the mandatory Point of Sale (POS) integration laws. The sealing occurred after authorities found the outlet’s POS system to be non-functional, breaching recent amendments to sales tax compliance regulations.
The Divago spokesperson clarified that the non-compliance was not deliberate, but rather a result of technical issues with the system and equipment. He added that the POS at this specific branch had been disconnected since March 30 — approximately seven days prior to the FBR’s enforcement action. The delay in resolving the issue was attributed to the overlapping Eid and weekend holidays, which limited the company’s ability to rectify the problem in a timely manner.
“Divago has a robust POS integration framework in place,” the official said, adding that out of 318 nationwide outlets, only one had experienced the temporary disconnection. He further emphasized that the company acted swiftly to restore the system and communicated the situation in detail to the FBR.
Following a thorough explanation and verification of tax compliance, the FBR allowed the reopening of the outlet. The official expressed appreciation for the FBR’s cooperation and reaffirmed Divago’s commitment to meeting all regulatory obligations in the future.
The FBR has recently taken a tougher stance on POS compliance, granting its field officers the authority to seal any non-integrated retail outlet immediately upon finding a discrepancy. These steps are part of broader efforts to improve tax documentation and revenue collection.
Divago reiterated that it remains fully compliant with tax regulations and continues to work closely with authorities to ensure that all its operations meet the highest legal and technical standards.