Telcos assure Aurangzeb: 5,000 SIM cards of non-filers will be blocked daily

ISLAMABAD: The telecom companies have given assurance to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb that the mobile phone operators would daily block 5,000 SIMs of non-filers of income tax returns.

It is learnt that the assurance has been given by the high-ups of telecom companies during a meeting with Finance Minister Aurangzeb held at the Ministry of Finance, here on Monday.

During the meeting, the tax authorities of the FBR, Pakistan Telecommuni-cation Authority (PTA) and telecom companies have mutually agreed to block 5,000 SIMs of non-filers on a daily basis whose names have been published in Income Tax General Order No 1 of 2024.

Blocking SIM cards of non-filers: LTO Islamabad to assist FBR

As agreed between the FBR and mobile phone operators, telecom operators have started blocking SIMs in line with FBR’s Income Tax General Order (ITGO).

The FBR also sent messages to 5,000 individuals, intimating them that their mobile phone SIMs would be blocked if they did not file their returns.

As already notified, the board has sent the second batch of 5,000 non-filers to the telecom companies, which had agreed to initiate the manual blocking process of the SIMs in small batches until their systems were fully equipped to automate it.

The third batch of numbers was communicated on Sunday.

Subsequent batches will be sent to them on a daily basis.

Moreover, telecom operators have also commenced sending messages to non-filers regarding blocking of SIMs for intimation purposes.

This collaboration underscores the commitment of FBR and telecom operators to uphold tax regulations and ensure compliance among taxpayers.

It also signifies a significant step towards enhancing tax collection and enforcement mechanisms in the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024