Islamabad: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has so far blocked over 11,000 mobile phone SIMs of non-tax filers, says an official.
The official said at least 11,252 SIMs had been blocked till May 22 under Income Tax General Order. He added that the tax-collecting body was “committed to promoting tax compliance and tax culture”.
Earlie, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had issued a stay order on the government’s decision to block SIMs of those who failed to file tax returns in 2023.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq led the proceedings of the petition filed by a private mobile and issued a stay order till May 27.
Last month, the FBR had released a comprehensive list of 506,671 individuals who failed to file their tax returns for 2023. As a penalty, their mobile phone SIMs were to be promptly blocked.
However, telecom providers objected to the decision and delayed its execution, which was made under an act of parliament.
On May 4, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had refused to act upon the FBR’s demand, saying its execution did not fall within its jurisdiction and thus the order would have “no legal binding effect”.
