The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has revealed a significant cybersecurity breach within the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), leading to a tax revenue loss of Rs. 14.66 billion. Hackers exploited vulnerabilities in FBR’s security systems to report fraudulent transactions totaling Rs. 81.43 billion, causing substantial financial damage.

This breach comes at a challenging time for the FBR, which is already struggling to meet its revenue collection targets. In the first 18 days of September, the tax regulator managed to achieve only 43 percent of its monthly target.

In response to these challenges, the FBR has reached out to the Chief Commissioner of the Corporate Regional Tax Office, urging intensified efforts in revenue collection. The regulator has called for stronger measures to recover outstanding taxes, ensure the timely filing of monthly sales tax returns, and enhance the monitoring of withholding agents to curb tax evasion.