ISLAMABAD (Daily Point) – In line with an International Monetary Fund (IMF) talks to fulfill the target to increase taxpayers for the current fiscal year, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has announced to cut electricity and gas connections and block mobile sims of those who do not file income tax returns.

Under the stringent measures, the FBR has planned to take strict action against the non-filers.

In recent discussions, the caretaker setup has contemplated expanding the pool of tax filers and boosting revenue. As part of its restructuring initiatives, the top tax authority has established 145 District Tax Offices with the goal of incorporating 2 million new taxpayers into the system by June 2024.

According to a press release, the Income Tax Ordinance of 2001 empowers the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to disconnect utility services such as electricity and gas, and the mobile SIM cards of non-taxpayers may be blocked if they fail to file their returns.

Under the newly enacted legislation, various agencies and departments are set to share data with the FBR through an automated common transmission system.