Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif On Friday directed relevant authorities instructions to assign skilled personnel to the appellate tribunals in order to guarantee the prompt resolution of court matters pertaining to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) collection. According to a news statement from the PM Office, the prime minister urged for the required steps to remove the backlog of cases and cautioned against any laxity while chairing a meeting to evaluate the issues pertaining to the appellate tribunals. PM Shehbaz said that the tribunals should hire individuals of worldwide ability as lawyers in revenue cases and provide them with competitive pay and benefits commensurate with their professional talents. PM Shehbaz said that work on FBR reforms is underway and a fast pace A Faceless Customs Assessment System has been deployed at the Karachi Port to combat corruption and significantly cut clearance time. PM Shehbaz also reiterated the government’s resolve to bring the tax evaders under the tax net to avert the burden from the poor people. In the briefing, the prime minister instructed the completion of reforms in the Inland Appellate Tribunals within the stipulated time. Federal Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik, Attorney General of Pakistan and relevant senior officers attended the meeting. Earlier, it was reported that the FBR has achieved 97 percent of its tax collection target for December 2024, collecting Rs 1328 billion against the set amount of Rs 1370 billion The Rs 1328 billion collection in December represents a significant increase of 35 percent as compared to November’s tax collection. Furthermore, there was a notable 56 percent increase in tax collection in comparison with December of the previous financial year. In the first six months of the current financial year, the FBR collected Rs. 5624 billion in taxes, falling short by Rs 385 billion of its target of Rs. 6009 billion.