Karachi, May 11, 2025 — The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been strongly urged to implement compulsory income tax return filing for professionals across various sectors, particularly those affiliated with formal associations and professional bodies such as bar councils and trade organizations. As part of the proposals submitted for the upcoming federal budget 2025–26, the FBR has been advised to expand the tax base by enforcing return filing for all service providers and professionals, including doctors, private hospitals, lawyers, painters, fashion designers, property dealers, interior designers, private teachers, educational institutes, salons, and coaching centers. The proposals recommend that FBR should make tax compliance a prerequisite for annual license or registration renewals. For example, doctors should be required to submit tax returns to the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), lawyers through their respective bar councils, and tax consultants via the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP). Hospitals would also be required to restrict non-filer doctors from practicing or providing consultancy services within their premises. In a bid to improve documentation and revenue collection, the proposals suggest mandatory integration of the Point of Sale (POS) system for professionals offering taxable services. This would ensure all transactions are digitally recorded and invoices…