FBR, trader representatives to launch joint registration drives across country

According to Dawn, the government and trader associations have struck an agreement under which FBR officers and trade representatives will visit markets across the four provinces together to enrol shopkeepers in the Easy Tax Scheme. The arrangement was settled at a Tuesday review meeting presided over by Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani.

Trade leaders Ajmal Baloch and Kashif Chaudhry, along with senior FBR officials, chief commissioners and delegates from RTO Islamabad and Rawalpindi, took part, while offices nationwide joined by video link. The meeting reviewed how regional tax offices have performed under the scheme and considered traders' feedback. Trade leaders will be joined by staff from regional and corporate tax offices at set times, and another review is set for next week.

Mr Kayani said the scheme, launched under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's guidance in response to traders' demands, has moved into effective implementation, with the first plaque installed in Islamabad and plaques due on shops nationwide the next day. He added that the scheme aims to widen the tax net while reducing the compliance burden on traders, and that monitoring will continue.