FBR receives only 130 returns under traders' tax scheme

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has received just 130 income tax returns under its special scheme for small traders and shopkeepers, according to The Express Tribune. The figure falls well short of the 500,000 to 600,000 filings the authority had anticipated. The disclosure came from Sayyeda Maimuna, Second Secretary at the FBR's Transformation Delivery Unit, during a podcast appearance.

Under the scheme, eligible traders can settle a minimum yearly tax of Rs25,000 or 1% of annual turnover, depending on the applicable calculation. Returns are filed on a single page through Tax Asaan or the FBR's web portal, and shopkeepers without digital access can seek help at Regional Tax Offices. Participants also gain protection from routine inspections, raids and shop sealing, and display a green identification sign outside their premises.

Maimuna warned that the simplified system does not exempt traders from scrutiny, as the FBR would still act on significant mismatches between declared earnings and third-party data. She also said the broader tax base would spread the burden more evenly across traders, professionals, property owners and salaried individuals, although the benefits would build up gradually rather than overnight.