ADB to help transform tax collection system

On Thursday, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani told a high-level dialogue on taxation, hosted by the Asian Development Bank, that Pakistan is intensifying work to widen its tax net. He said the government wants to ease the load on taxpayers who already comply, while raising collection efficiency through digital tools and closer cooperation with the private sector. The Express Tribune reported that the event was titled the High-Level Dialogue on Taxation for Fiscal Sustainability.

Kayani added that the prime minister is paying closer attention to reforms at the Federal Board of Revenue, holding weekly reviews of both the strategic and operational sides of the body's transformation. ADB Vice President Yingming Yang argued that taxation and domestic resource mobilisation are central to sustainable development. He noted that stronger revenue systems would let governments invest in people, infrastructure and resilience, and lean less on debt.

Yang also said the bank has pledged financial and technical backing, along with knowledge sharing, to help Pakistan overhaul its revenue collection system.