ISLAMABAD, November 3, 2026: The federal government has decided to take legal action against shopkeepers who have failed to register under the Asan Tax Scheme, with penalties planned after efforts to encourage voluntary compliance fell short of expectations.
Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani disclosed the decision during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, chaired by Syed Naveed Qamar.
Kayani told the committee that the government had accepted traders’ demands to facilitate registration, but participation in the scheme remained considerably below the anticipated level.
He said authorities were preparing to initiate enforcement measures against non-filer shopkeepers, including legal proceedings and fines. A detailed enforcement mechanism would be presented within the next few days.
Questioning the scheme’s performance, Qamar noted that the government had initially expected 80 percent of shopkeepers to register. He expressed concern that registrations had apparently failed to reach even 20 percent, raising questions about the effectiveness of the initiative.
The committee chairman also sought details of how the government intended to enforce registration requirements. Kayani assured lawmakers that the proposed mechanism would be shared shortly.
The meeting separately considered the Companies Amendment Bill, which was deferred after the committee could not clear it.
Qamar raised concerns over the alleged misuse of the Export Facilitation Scheme and noted that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman was not present to brief the committee on the issue.
The committee consequently postponed consideration of the bill.
The proposed enforcement measures mark a shift from encouraging voluntary registration towards stricter compliance, as the government seeks to bring more shopkeepers into the tax system.