KARACHI: Industrialists categorically rejected the recently introduced Tax Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, describing it as undemocratic, unconstitutional, and a death warrant to industries. They denounced the ordinance for granting disproportionate authority to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), especially regarding tax recovery. Signed into effect by the President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, the ordinance amends Sections 138 and 140 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, along with key portions of the Federal Excise Act, 2005. The changes permit the FBR to execute immediate enforcement measures—such as freezing accounts, confiscating property, and sealing business premises—once a final ruling is issued by the High Court or Supreme Court, with no requirement for additional notice. The ordinance also allows FBR personnel to be physically deployed within factories and commercial sites to oversee production, stock levels, and the movement of goods. President FBATI Sheikh Muhammad Tehseen has condemned this as a serious infringement on operational freedom and a new layer of bureaucratic intrusion. “Having tax officers embedded in our workplaces is not only invasive but amounts to institutional harassment,”…