ISLAMABAD: Close to 10,000 shopkeepers have signed up for the government’s Asaan Tax Scheme (ATS) within a single month of its launch, State Minister for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani said on Friday.
A review meeting on the scheme, chaired by Kayani in Islamabad, was told that 9,806 shopkeepers had joined the Asaan Tax Scheme within one month of its launch. The meeting was attended by traders’ representatives Ajmal Baloch and Kashif Chaudhry.
Officials briefed the meeting that 1,929 of the newly registered shopkeepers had not previously been part of the tax system, while 428 shopkeepers had already filed returns under the scheme. Filings were reported from both small and major cities across the country.
Kayani directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to immediately address technical objections raised by shopkeepers and lawyers over the scheme’s implementation, and told authorities to issue FBR plates to shopkeepers who had already filed returns without delay. The meeting also decided to step up engagement with tax bars and lawyers going forward.
Describing the scheme’s significance, the minister said the ATS was a facility designed specifically for shopkeepers that was not available to any other business segment. He said he hoped more shopkeepers would join, arguing there was no longer any reason for them to remain non-filers now that the scheme had been launched.
Source: Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan (@Financegovpk) on X, September 25, 2026
The Ministry of Finance said an Urdu-language information booklet on the scheme had also been issued, explaining the new procedure alongside details of penalties that will apply after the filing deadline: Rs10,000 in the first month, Rs25,000 in the second, and Rs50,000 in the third.
Trader leaders at the meeting described the Asaan Tax Scheme as a positive initiative and assured the FBR of their full cooperation, though they noted it might take some time to build awareness among shopkeepers.
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