ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has ramped up its efforts to block the SIM cards of individuals who have not filed their tax returns.
So far, 210,000 SIMs have been deactivated, with 61,996 of them restored after the owners filed their tax returns.
Sources indicate that telecom companies are being provided with data on 5,000 SIMs daily. In total, the FBR plans to block 506,671 SIM cards of non-filers.
Recently, the FBR issued an Income Tax General Order targeting over 606,000 individuals whose incomes are taxable but who have failed to file their returns. These individuals are not listed in the FBR’s Active Taxpayer List, which means their mobile connections can be disconnected at any time if they do not comply with tax regulations.
FBR spokesperson Bakhtiar Ahmed highlighted that only around 2.5 million people, out of a population of 250 million, are currently non-filers. This initiative aims to encourage more individuals to fulfill their tax obligations and ensure compliance with the country’s tax laws.
