FBR Teams To Register Shopkeepers Directly In Markets Nationwide

Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials will team up with representatives of trade organisations to visit markets across all four provinces and help shopkeepers register under the Asaan Tax Scheme.

The decision was taken during a review meeting on the scheme chaired by Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, as the government moves to speed up implementation and encourage greater participation from traders.

Under the new approach, representatives of local trader bodies and FBR field officers will jointly prepare schedules for visits to selected markets. Registration facilities will be made available to shopkeepers directly at these locations, allowing traders to complete the process without having to rely solely on tax offices.

Trader representatives and tax authorities will also work together to develop registration plans for markets located within their respective jurisdictions.

The meeting examined the performance of Regional Tax Offices (RTOs) and Corporate Tax Offices (CTOs) in implementing the scheme. Senior officials from RTOs and CTOs across Pakistan joined the meeting through video link and provided updates on progress in their respective areas.

The authorities also reviewed feedback and concerns received from traders regarding the scheme.

Kayani said implementation would remain under continuous monitoring and announced that another review meeting would be held next week to evaluate progress.

He further said that the first official registration plate under the Asaan Tax Scheme had already been installed in Islamabad. Registration plates will begin appearing at the shops of registered traders across the country from Thursday.

According to the minister, the scheme was introduced in response to demands from the business community and aims to simplify tax compliance for traders while expanding Pakistan’s tax base.

The meeting was attended by trade leaders Ajmal Baloch and Kashif Chaudhry, FBR Member Inland Revenue Operations Zubair Bilal, senior tax officials, chief commissioners and representatives of the Islamabad and Rawalpindi RTOs.