The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Monday refused to share details of Pakistan’s highest taxpayers with a Senate panel, saying the information could not be disclosed without prior approval from the federal cabinet.
The issue came up during a meeting of a subcommittee of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control, chaired by Senator Saifullah Abro. The panel was reviewing tobacco taxation, cigarette smuggling, tax enforcement, and the alleged theft of 2,828 cartons of cigarettes from FBR warehouses in Swabi and Mardan.
FBR officials told the committee they had brought most of the requested record but had withheld some details. They said the board had also sought legal opinion from the Ministry of Law on whether the requested information could be shared with the parliamentary committee.
During the meeting, the committee directed the tax authority to provide details of the country’s top taxpayers. However, FBR officials said such information is released only after approval from the federal cabinet and therefore could not be shared directly with the panel.
Senator Abro expressed dissatisfaction over the response and accused the FBR of unnecessarily complicating the matter. He insisted that the requested data be submitted and warned officials that the committee would take the matter further if needed.
“If you do not provide the data, your prime minister will provide it here,” Abro told FBR representatives during the meeting.
The committee had earlier directed the FBR to submit a 20-year record of taxes assessed, collected, and pending from the tobacco industry, along with details of registered tobacco factories, tobacco brands, and related tax data.
During the briefing, FBR officials informed lawmakers that 35 tobacco companies are currently operating in Pakistan. They also said income tax exemptions previously available to factories located in tax-exempt areas ended in July 2026.
The panel also reviewed a number of enforcement-related cases, including the theft of 2,828 cartons of cigarettes from FBR warehouses and the theft of 398 kilograms of silver during transportation by customs officials. Customs authorities told lawmakers that several suspects had been arrested and a significant quantity of the stolen silver had been recovered.
Lawmakers also raised concerns over tax evasion in former FATA, alleged revenue fraud involving oil companies, and weak enforcement within the tax machinery. The Federal Investigation Agency informed the committee that it would coordinate with the FBR to improve enforcement in tax-exempt areas and curb smuggling.
