The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has blocked more than 11,000 SIM cards owned by non-tax filers, according to an official statement.
FBR spokesperson Bakhtiar Mohammad said that 11,252 SIMs had been blocked under the Income Tax General Order until May 22.
The spokesperson emphasized the tax collecting agency’s dedication to fostering tax compliance and a tax culture, reflecting their mission statement.
According to the spokesman, during a meeting on Tuesday, the FBR notified the telecom firms of the intention to ban SIMs in an effort to reduce tax fraud and increase revenue generation in the face of severe economic indicators.
Earlier media reports had highlighted the government’s proposal to deactivate SIMs of individuals who had not filed tax returns in 2023. However, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) temporarily suspended this action, clarifying that the stay order was solely related to the petitioner, private telecom operator Zong, and not the blocking of SIMs.
In a recent hearing of the case, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq clarified, “Let me clarify that the stay order was not on blocking SIMs but only to provide protection to the petitioners. The government’s order to block SIMs is still in the field.”
On April 30, the FBR had published a comprehensive list of 506,671 individuals who failed to file their tax returns for 2023. Consequently, their mobile phone SIMs were scheduled for prompt deactivation. However, objections from telecom providers delayed the execution of this decision, which was made under an act of parliament.
