The federal government has launched a new mobile application developed by Federal Board of Revenue to help small shop owners register under the new Fixed Tax Scheme, providing retailers with a digital channel for completing the registration process. The initiative is part of government efforts to simplify tax compliance for small businesses and bring more retailers into the formal tax system. The application is being introduced alongside broader measures aimed at expanding the country’s tax base, with millions of retailers expected to be covered under the new framework.
The mobile application is designed to make registration more accessible for small retailers by allowing them to complete the process through their smartphones instead of relying entirely on conventional registration channels. The application will be available in Urdu, English, Sindhi and Balochi, allowing retailers from different parts of the country to access the service in commonly used languages. The government has already collected information on more than 3.5 million retailers as part of preparations for implementing the Fixed Tax Scheme nationwide. Retailers registered under the scheme will also receive an FBR Green Plate to identify businesses that have been enrolled in the tax framework.
The government has set a revenue target of Rs. 50 billion from retailer registrations under the Fixed Tax Scheme during the current fiscal year. The application is intended to support this objective by making the registration process easier for small shop owners and reducing some of the administrative barriers associated with entering the formal tax system. According to earlier plans, retailers registering under the scheme through the mobile application will be required to file their tax returns in September. The digital registration process is also expected to provide Federal Board of Revenue with more structured information about small businesses operating across different sectors and locations.
The introduction of the mobile application represents another step in the government’s broader efforts to digitize tax administration and increase participation in the formal economy. Small retailers form a large segment of Pakistan’s commercial sector, and creating a simpler digital registration process could help Federal Board of Revenue reach businesses that may have previously found traditional tax procedures difficult to navigate. The multilingual application is also intended to improve accessibility for retailers outside major urban centers. As the Fixed Tax Scheme is implemented, the government’s focus will remain on bringing registered retailers into regular tax filing while using digital systems to simplify registration, improve compliance and maintain records of businesses covered under the scheme.
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