SOHAIL SARFRAZ

ISLAMABAD: In a new development, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) intended to enhance and further strengthen the Track & Trace System (TTS) and electronic monitoring of production systems across key industrial, revenue-significant, and high-risk sectors in Pakistan.

After installation of TTS at tobacco, sugar, cement and fertilizer sectors, the FBR is planning to install electronic monitoring of production systems and the TTS at tiles units, textile spinning factories and Green Leaf Threshing (GLT) Units across the country, sources said.

According to FBR chairman, there is a massive tax evasion of Rs 30 billion in tile manufacturing sector. The monitoring will also help secure Rs 76 billion in additional revenue from sugar sector and Rs 102 billion from cement sector this year alone, he told last meeting of Senate Finance Committee.

The tobacco sector is plagued with tax evasion and an estimated Rs 80 billion are evaded annually due to illegal tobacco trade at Green Leaf Threshing (GLT) stage.

In this connection, the FBR has released a new document on TTS on Tuesday for installation of the TTS at the high-risk sectors in the country.

This initiative is aimed at further improving tax compliance, transparency, and enforcement effectiveness through the deployment of new and advanced technologies, FBR said.

In this regard, the FBR has issued Request for Information (RFI) for all stakeholders here on Tuesday.

According to the FBR, the purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to identify technology solutions providers for DNA-based/forensic/molecular

authentication technologies and explore advanced and forensic-grade authentication technologies, including molecular or DNA-based identifiers, to strengthen traceability, anti-counterfeiting, and enforcement. The purpose of the EFI is to obtain market input to enhance and refine the Terms of Reference (ToR) and scope of work for future initiatives; identify available technical, operational, and implementation capabilities and identify obstacles, limitations, risks, and dependencies associated with various technologies and delivery models.

The purpose of the EFI is to gather any other relevant and pertinent information that may assist FBR in informed planning and decision-making. This RFI is issued solely for information-gathering and market-sounding purposes.

It does not constitute a solicitation, does not obligate FBR in any manner, and is not transactional or legally binding. Participation in this RFI shall not give rise to any right, claim, or expectation of future engagement.

FBR has invited interested firms/SOEs to provide non-binding information related to one or more of the following areas: Track & Trace Systems (TTS); DNA-based/ forensic/molecular authentication technologies; advanced and forensic-grade authentication technologies, including molecular or DNA based identifiers, to strengthen traceability, anti-counterfeiting, and enforcement. The FBR has asked the firms to provide details on the Production Monitoring Systems (PMS); secure identification, serialization, and authentication technologies; digital dashboards, analytics, and MIS platforms; integration with ERP, invoicing, and tax systems and mobile verification and field enforcement tools, the FBR added.