The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) informed the Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology that some of its employees were involved in leaking sensitive taxpayer information.

During a briefing to the committee, officials from Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) disclosed that multiple data breach incidents had occurred within the tax authority’s system. They said the personal data of around 120,000 individuals was compromised in 2024, while information related to 79 taxpayers was leaked in a more recent case.

FBR officials told lawmakers that such incidents are promptly reported to the National Computer Emergency Response Team (NCERT) for investigation and response.

According to the officials, the latest breach was traced to the FBR’s Karachi office, where certain employees allegedly accessed confidential records using their official system logins and shared the information with unauthorized individuals.

They added that the case was referred to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the employees involved were subsequently taken into custody.

Committee members raised questions about the accountability process within the FBR. Senator Kamran Murtaza asked whether formal cases had been registered against staff members responsible for the breach.

Meanwhile, Senator Talha Mahmood criticized the situation and questioned why strict action had not been taken against individuals allegedly involved in previous data leak incidents. He also alleged that influential figures connected to the IT department had escaped scrutiny despite serious allegations.

The committee stressed the importance of stronger cybersecurity measures and stricter internal controls to safeguard confidential taxpayer information in the future.