Mohsin Siddiqui (Chief Reporter)

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has taken a decisive step towards blocking SIMs of 506,671 non-filers by May 15, 2024. In this effort, all telecom operators will be summoned to the FBR Headquarters.

Contrary to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) stance, the FBR emphasizes that the responsibility lies with the cellular companies to execute the SIM blocking. Therefore, the PTA’s refusal holds no relevance to the FBR’s enforcement drive.

In accordance with the directives, the FBR Member Inland Revenue (Operations) will convene a meeting with telcos to ensure compliance with the deadline for SIM blocking.

The recent issuance of Income Tax General Order No 01 of 2024 mandates the filing of returns by individuals not on the active taxpayers list but liable to file income tax returns for the tax year 2023.

Non-filers can verify their status from the specified list available on the FBR’s website. SIMs associated with non-filers will remain blocked until restored by the FBR or the Commissioner Inland Revenue.

Both the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and telecom operators are obliged to ensure immediate compliance with the Income Tax General Order.

A compliance report is to be submitted to the FBR by May 15, 2024, to ensure the effective execution of this initiative.