Tanners’ association expresses concern over monitoring system

Business Recorder reported that Muhammad Azam Malik, chairman of the Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA), has voiced strong unease about a digital production monitoring system the FBR has required tanneries to implement. The notice, dated 07.10.2026, gives the sector seven days to comply, a timeline Malik described as entirely unworkable. He stressed that tanning is one of the most valuable export industries and contributes significantly to GDP.

According to Malik, exporters already document output, sales and shipments through the Pakistan Single Window, goods declarations, invoices, bank records, sales tax submissions and income tax statements. He argued the proposed system would duplicate those obligations, add cost and complexity, and impose an unnecessary burden without meaningful extra benefit. He also warned that the measure could disrupt production needed to fulfil export orders.

Malik also noted that costs for doing business here are already steep compared with rivals such as India, Bangladesh, Turkey and China, making export orders harder to win. He then asked the prime minister to intervene and stop the FBR from applying the digital monitoring system to tanneries. The association insists its members back transparency and follow the rules.