Pakistan, June 12 -- Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial announced a major crackdown on tax evasion in the tobacco sector following a successful enforcement drive in the sugar industry. The FBR increased sugar sector tax collections by 39 percent without raising tax rates. Now, it plans similar strict measures for tobacco, retail, and other key sectors to improve compliance and revenue.

Langrial revealed that the government is expanding digital monitoring tools and working closely with intelligence agencies to detect tax evasion. The Intelligence Bureau is overseeing FBR staff to prevent corruption and collusion, which led to the removal of dishonest officials within the revenue board. This shows the governmen...