Response to fixed tax unsatisfactory

Express Tribune reported that only four new shopkeepers signed up for the fixed tax scheme before the statutory deadline, and FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial conceded that the response fell short of expectations. Filings received by the September 30 deadline reached 5.7 million, compared with 19 million registered taxpayers, and the government has granted a 15-day extension for filing all returns. Returns were also 32 per cent below the 8.5 million filed last year, although the chairman said filers were 1.7 million higher than on September 30, 2025.

Senator Saleem Mandviwalla of the PPP chairs the Senate Standing Committee on Finance, which was briefed by Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani on the scheme. Kayani blamed technical glitches in the application for first-time filers, warning that strong enforcement could follow if traders stayed away. Penalties will start at Rs10,000 at the first stage, rising to Rs25,000 and then Rs50,000, the committee was told.

The FBR collected Rs3.078 trillion in the July-September quarter, Rs25 billion above target, but growth of only 6.5 per cent over last year. The annual target of Rs15.263 trillion, set by the government and the IMF, needs 17.4 per cent growth, and the IMF has made meeting tax targets binding. Approval of the sixth loan tranche is contingent on the first-half target.