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FBR officials face hectic working hours next four days for tax collection

Taxation

Tax offices to remain open over the weekend and until midnight on June 30 as FBR races to meet revised revenue target

ISLAMABAD: Officials of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) are set to work extended hours over the next four days as the tax authority intensifies efforts to maximise revenue collection before the close of fiscal year 2025-26.

The FBR has introduced special working arrangements for Inland Revenue field formations across the country to facilitate taxpayers and accelerate the collection of taxes and duties during the final days of June.

In an official memorandum issued, the FBR directed all Chief Commissioners of Inland Revenue at the Large Taxpayers Offices (LTOs), Medium Tax Office (MTO), Corporate Tax Offices (CTOs) and Regional Tax Offices (RTOs) to keep their offices operational throughout the weekend and observe extended working hours until the end of the fiscal year.

Under the revised schedule, tax offices will remain open during normal office hours on Saturday, June 27, 2026, and Sunday, June 28, 2026. Field formations have also been instructed to remain open until 8:00 pm on Monday, June 29, and midnight on Tuesday, June 30, the final day of FY2025-26.

The extended working hours are intended to facilitate taxpayers in meeting their obligations while enabling the tax authority to maximise revenue collection before the fiscal year closes.

According to official figures, the FBR collected approximately Rs11.227 trillion during the first eleven months of the fiscal year, covering the period from July 2025 to May 2026.

To achieve its revised annual revenue target of Rs12.98 trillion, the tax authority must collect nearly Rs1.75 trillion during June, highlighting the scale of the challenge in the final month of the fiscal year.

The FBR was initially assigned a revenue target of Rs14.13 trillion, but the objective was revised downward on multiple occasions amid weaker-than-expected economic activity, slower import growth and other factors affecting tax collection.

Government officials have attributed the revenue shortfall to subdued economic activity, lower import volumes and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which adversely affected customs duties and other tax receipts during the year.

The latest directive reflects the FBR’s determination to strengthen revenue mobilisation before June 30 by ensuring uninterrupted services at tax offices and facilitating the prompt processing of tax payments.

To support the year-end revenue drive, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has also announced special banking arrangements for taxpayers.

At the request of the FBR, the central bank has instructed all commercial banks to extend banking hours and maintain uninterrupted digital payment services to facilitate the collection of government taxes and duties.

According to the SBP, all Saturday-opening branches of commercial banks, along with National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) branches authorised to collect Customs duties, will remain open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday, June 27, 2026.

Banks have also been directed to extend branch operations until 8:00 pm on Monday, June 29, and 10:00 pm on Tuesday, June 30, while designated NBP branches collecting Customs duties will remain open until 11:59 pm on the last day of the fiscal year.

The SBP has further instructed banks to ensure that designated branches remain operational for as long as necessary to facilitate the Special Clearing of Government Transactions through National Institutional Facilitation Technologies (NIFT).

In addition to extended branch operations, banks have been directed to keep internet banking, mobile banking applications, automated teller machines (ATMs) and other digital payment channels fully operational to enable taxpayers to make payments without disruption.

Tax experts believe the coordinated measures by the FBR and the SBP will ease pressure on taxpayers during the year-end rush, reduce congestion at bank branches and encourage greater use of digital payment channels. They also expect the extended working hours to improve the efficiency of government revenue collection as the tax authority strives to narrow the gap between actual collections and its revised target.