WB briefed on FBR’s transformation

ISLAMABAD: The Country Director of World Bank (WB), Najy Benhassine, along with Tobias Akhtar Haque (Lead Country Economist), Irum Touqeer (Public Sector Specialist) and Eva Liselotte Lescrauwaet (Senior Operations Officer) visited the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) HQs on Tuesday for a meeting with FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial and his team to discuss the alignment of initiatives under the Pakistan

Raises Revenue Project with the FBR Transformation Plan.

The FBR chairman briefed them on the government’s vision for transforming FBR and stressed that the purpose of reforms was revenue growth while facilitating compliance. He highlighted the key reform areas to plug the gap in tax compliance i.e., digitalization initiatives, capacity building of HR, anti-smuggling initiatives and more broad-based tax administration reforms.

The FBR chairman requested the World Bank team’s support for the reform initiatives, including establishing digital enforcement stations, digitalization of supply chains and feasibility studies required for the cited initiatives. The WB country director expressed his support for the revenue mobilization efforts and reiterated that both teams would work together to support the FBR transformation plan activities under the Pakistan Raises Revenue Programme.