The Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) efforts to integrate Point of Sales (POS) systems for Tier-I retailers in Pakistan have yielded conflicting reports on the number of successfully integrated businesses.
FBR’s Reported Figures (as of July 2024):
- A total of 8,949 Tier-I retailers have been registered with the FBR POS system.
- This breakdown includes:
- 644 restaurants
- 506 leather and textile retailers
FBR Biannual Performance Report (July-December 2023):
However, the FBR’s Biannual Performance Report paints a different picture, indicating a significantly lower number of integrated retailers:
- Only 434 retailers were integrated with the FBR POS system by December 2023.
- The report provides a provincial breakdown:
- 234 retailers in Punjab
- 99 retailers in the Federal Capital Territory
- 81 retailers in Sindh
- 16 retailers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- 4 retailers in Balochistan
Discrepancies and Questions:
These conflicting figures raise questions about the accuracy of the reported data. Further investigation is needed to reconcile the substantial difference between the two sets of numbers.
Additional Notes:
- The FBR has implemented a Rs. 1 tax on each receipt issued by integrated retailers.
- The FBR Chairman recently reported collecting over Rs. 1 billion from this tax.
- During the previous administration, the FBR conducted electronic prize draws to incentivize consumers to request FBR barcode receipts from retailers.
The FBR’s POS system integration program aims to improve tax collection by documenting transactions of large retailers. However, the discrepancies in reported figures highlight the need for transparency and data accuracy in this initiative.
