Islamabad, July 3, 2025 — In a jaw-dropping expansion of surveillance powers, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been granted unprecedented access to your internet browsing history — even if you’ve cleared your cache or wiped your device clean.
Yes, you read that right. Whether you’re surfing the web on a mobile phone, tablet, or desktop, your digital trail can now be traced — not just by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), but also by FBR, all in the name of combating tax fraud.
This explosive authority comes courtesy of the Finance Act, 2025, which amends the Sales Tax Act, 1990, equipping FBR with high-powered investigative tools to track, trace, and trap digital tax cheats hiding behind anonymity.
🔍 National Security or Digital Invasion?
Supporters argue the move is essential to protect the national exchequer from malicious elements exploiting the internet to create ghost companies, use fake IP addresses, and generate flying invoices — all to claim fraudulent sales tax refunds. In fact, FBR officials claim that the system was previously being manipulated with such ease that it cost the country trillions in bogus tax refunds.
Fraudsters were using fake names, fake addresses, and multiple IPs to access the FBR portal and file fictitious returns. When authorities tried to locate them, they vanished into the digital fog. But not anymore.
🛑 What the Law Now Says
The Finance Act, 2025, leaves no room for doubt. It states:
“Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law… the FBR Commissioner may, by written notice, require any Internet Service Providers, Telecommunication Companies, and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to furnish subscriber’s information pertaining to the Internet Protocols in connection with any inquiry or investigation in cases of tax fraud.”
That means FBR can demand — without a court order — your internet usage data if they suspect you of fraud. Whether it’s your location, device, or IP history — it’s now fair game in the eyes of the law.
⚠ Is Your Privacy at Risk?
Digital rights advocates are calling this a “massive overreach” and a direct threat to citizens’ online privacy. Critics argue this opens the floodgates to surveillance far beyond just suspected tax fraud, and there’s growing concern over how this power will be used — or abused.
💡 What Should You Do?
If you’re a law-abiding taxpayer, this change may not affect you directly — but it’s still a wake-up call. Your digital footprint is no longer yours alone. FBR now has the green light to trace your internet history in the fight against tax crimes.
The message from Islamabad is crystal clear: cheat the tax system, and we’ll find you — even in your browser’s incognito mode.