Islamabad: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue has rejected a proposal that sought to expand the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) access to taxpayers’ bank account data, citing concerns over misuse and privacy.
The committee, chaired by MNA Naveed Qamar, reviewed the Finance Bill 2026 and took up the government’s proposal to allow tax authorities access to account information held in scheduled banks for monitoring financial transactions.
During the meeting, lawmakers strongly opposed the move, warning that such access could lead to potential misuse of sensitive financial data.
PPP lawmaker Sharmila Faruqui said she was certain the information would be misused, while other members questioned the necessity of granting direct access to bank records when alternative verification mechanisms already existed.
FBR officials informed the committee that the data already resides with the State Bank of Pakistan and would only be used to cross-check income tax returns. They argued that the measure would help improve monitoring of financial transactions.
However, lawmakers insisted that the FBR should not be allowed direct access to account-holder data from scheduled banks.
After detailed deliberations, the committee rejected the proposal and barred the tax authority from directly accessing taxpayers’ bank account information.
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