Action against corruption pledged: RTO Islamabad to continue POS registration

ISLAMABAD: Top officials of the Regional Tax Office (RTO) Islamabad has fully assured business community of Islamabad that the RTO is committed to take strict action against anyone who is involved in corruption, but the RTO will continue enforcement drive of point of sales (POS) registration to enforce law in letter and spirit.

Senior officials of the RTO Islamabad were timely responding to accusation of corruption against the employees of the RTO Islamabad.

According to the top tax officials of the RTO Islamabad, the RTO Islamabad is taking into account non-registration of retailers in sales tax and has held several sessions with traders association separately.

Chief Commissioner secretariat has appointed focal person and dedicated what’s app no to put in any complaint against any officer or official of any corrupt practice.

READ MORE: FBR integrates 10,858 big retailers into POS system

There is no additional cost of installation of POS which is being provided by PRAL free of cost. RTO also has offered any additional services required by the traders who are liable to be registered as per law.

Any accusation should be backed by facts and we are committed to take strict action against anyone who is involved, however RTO will continue to enforce law in letter and spirit, top officials added.

All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran (APAT) Chairman Ajmal Baloch has levelled serious allegations of corruption against the tax officers/officials of the Regional Tax Office Islamabad during so-called drive forced point of sales (POS) registration of Islamabad-based traders.

Talking to Business Recorder on Sunday, Ajmal Baloch accused Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) tax officers in Regional Tax Office Islamabad for committing corrupt practices during ongoing exercise of POS registration of Islamabad-based traders.

All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran (APAT) Chairman Ajmal Baloch told Business Recorder that the corruption and blackmailing has been witnessed by some tax officers while registration of traders under the POS scheme. Few tax employees are not only involved in taking monthly bribes from traders, but also harassing small traders with less electricity bills for forcefully registration with the POS system, he accused.

“Imagine a dispatch rider of RTO Islamabad physically go and serve notices to the shops for taking bribes, ”Ajmal Baloch accused.

During last press conference, I explained in detail how officers in RTO Islamabad are involved in alleged corruption but in vain, he alleged.

He quoted several examples where several employees of Islamabad were involved in harassing small traders for forcefully registration of the small traders, not liable to be registered under the POS system.

The blackmailing of the RTO Islamabad has been temporarily stopped after last press conference of All Pakistan Anjuman-e-Tajiran (APAT).

Earlier, Traders Action Committee informed FBR Member IR (Operations) that the force POS registration of small traders would only increase compliance cost of the traders. The uneducated traders have to hire professionals (Babus) for installation and running of POS system at their shops. The shopkeepers would have to pay extra cost as compared to their profits for maintaining system of POS around the clock.

If a shopkeeper is using debit/credit card machine or QR Code, this does not mean that he would be compulsorily required to be registered with the POS system.

Traders running small shops do not have enough funds to bear cost of the POS system, Ajmal Baloch added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026