The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has made it mandatory to use information from the ASYCUDA System in determining income tax, aiming to ensure greater transparency and accuracy in tax assessments.
In a press release issued on Thursday, the NBR stated that instructions have been given to collect actual data on the value of imported goods and the advance income tax (AIT) paid at the import stage from the Business Intelligence (BI) Server of the ASYCUDA System and to use these data when assessing income tax liabilities.
An order was issued on 4 March 2026 for all tax zones under the Income Tax Wing of the NBR. The order provides detailed guidelines for income tax officials on using the BI Server of the ASYCUDA System.
According to the directive, when selecting cases for audit, approving the reopening of cases under the Income Tax Act by inspecting joint or additional commissioners, or issuing correction orders for erroneous assessments by inspecting range officers, the relevant range officers must collect data from the BI server if the taxpayer is an importer.
They are required to gather information on the value of imported goods and the actual amount of advance income tax paid at the import stage and to inform the respective Circle Officers in writing for assessment purposes.
Commissioners and Inspecting Range Officers will be able to log into the BI Server from designated IP-bounded computers. Data collected from the server must be regularly recorded in a specified register by the inspecting range officers. Initially, assessing officers will not have direct access to the BI Server; the information will instead be provided via the Inspecting Range Officers.
The NBR said that using data from the ASYCUDA System’s BI Server will enable easy verification of the quantity and value of imported goods and the advance income tax collected at the import stage during the disposal of income tax cases.
It will also ensure transparent and accurate crediting of advance income tax, help prevent tax evasion, increase revenue collection, and facilitate faster disposal of income tax cases with greater transparency and accountability.
The move will also make the income tax refund process more transparent, simpler, and quicker, the release added.
The NBR expressed the hope that the initiative would usher in a new era of information exchange between the customs and income tax wings.
If successfully implemented, the measure will ensure transparency in the tax assessment process and reduce unnecessary harassment of businesspersons, the release concluded.
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