FBR Targets Rs336B Shortfall with H2 Enforcement Blitz

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has rolled out a high-intensity strategy to hit its revised second-half tax target for FY 2025-26, zeroing in on administrative muscle and recovering stuck revenue, FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial chaired a critical war-room meeting with Chief Commissioners Inland Revenue, Chief Collectors Customs, and FBR Members on Thursday. The session dissected the H1 shortfall of Rs328 billion (revised target Rs13,979 billion from original Rs14,307 billion) and hammered out enforcement drives, court-case resolutions, and potential new revenue levers — including higher excise on fertilisers/pesticides, excise on high-value sugary items, and shifting select goods to the standard sales tax rate. December provisional collection hit Rs1,425 billion (vs target Rs1,446 billion), bringing Jul-Dec total to Rs6,169 billion and narrowing the shortfall to Rs336 billion from earlier Rs564 billion. The meeting praised Member Inland Revenue (Operations) Zubair Bilal for his aggressive revenue push that helped close the gap. FBR is now laser-focused on meeting the revised target by March 2026. In parallel, the government has ruled out any mini-budget, with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb congratulating FBR for achieving ~95% of the H1 target and 98.3% of December. Sources confirmed no new revenue measures, bills, or ordinances are in the pipeline for January 2026.