Punjab eyes tax net widening via digital tools

A World Bank delegation, led by Regional Director Michael Roggi with Manager Sylvia Solf, met Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) Chairman Moazzam Iqbal Sipra to discuss digitising the province's tax system. According to The Express Tribune, the talks also covered ways to modernise tax administration using current international models.

Participants reviewed how digital databases can be used in tax collection and the Digital Economy Enhancement Project. They also proposed linking data held by different government departments to build a more effective collection system.

PRA Chairman Sipra said digital tools would widen the tax base and draw fresh firms into the net, and could help identify evasion, misappropriation and mismatches in business records. The World Bank side added that the PRA would reinforce its digital oversight and tax administration. The PRA and the Punjab Information Technology Board will jointly prepare a roadmap for digital tax reforms, backed by World Bank technical assistance and funding.