Islamabad, July 24, 2025 – The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has successfully recovered a total of Rs7.81 billion in penalties imposed on non-filers over the past five tax years, signaling intensified efforts to enforce tax compliance and expand the national tax base.
This information was shared by Minister of State for Finance and Revenue, Bilal Azhar Kayani, during a Senate session on Thursday. Responding to multiple queries during Question Hour, the minister stated that the FBR had implemented a robust strategy targeting non-filers, including stringent enforcement and policy reforms designed to encourage documentation and voluntary compliance.
According to the detailed breakdown provided by the minister, the yearly recoveries from non-filers were as follows:
• Rs410 million in tax year 2019-20
• Rs1.17 billion in 2020-21
• Rs840 million in 2021-22
• Rs1.91 billion in 2022-23
• Rs3.47 billion in 2023-24
These recoveries were achieved through increased withholding tax rates and aggressive recovery mechanisms aimed specifically at non-filers. Kayani emphasized that financial, legal, and transactional penalties were being enforced more rigorously than ever before.
The minister further remarked that the FBR is currently undergoing an organizational transformation, with weekly oversight meetings led by the Prime Minister to ensure reforms are on track. He expressed hope that the concept of non-filers would be completely eliminated in the near future, with efforts focused on bringing all eligible citizens into the tax net.
In response to another Senate query, Kayani also disclosed findings of a 2019 audit at the State Warehouse (Valuables), Custom House Lahore, where 43 valuable articles, including 36 currency items and 7 gold/silver items, were reported as embezzled. Investigations into the matter are still underway.