The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has integrated 13,731 large retailers, textile and leather retailers, and restaurants with its point-of-sale (POS) system up to September 2026, as Pakistan continues efforts to document commercial transactions and improve tax compliance. The integration programme is designed to record sales at eligible retail outlets and restaurants, giving tax authorities greater visibility into reported business activity. According to figures compiled by the FBR, the total number of branches and outlets connected to the system across the covered categories reached 37,770 by the end of September. The latest figures highlight the scale of the tax authority’s digital monitoring network, although the number of registered businesses and the number of connected branches represent separate measures of implementation.
The FBR’s data showed that 12,016 Tier-I retailers were registered with the POS system by September 2026. Across this category, 25,208 retail branches had been integrated with the system. Tier-I retailers form a key part of the programme because their sales transactions fall within the tax authority’s retail documentation framework. Connecting branches to the system allows sales information to be captured through the prescribed electronic mechanism, helping the FBR monitor declared transactions. The figures indicate that the retail network accounts for a substantial share of the total connected outlets reported across all three categories.
Restaurants were another component of the integration programme. The FBR reported that 1,152 restaurants were registered with the POS system, with 1,792 branches connected to its monitoring infrastructure. Recording restaurant sales electronically can help tax authorities compare transaction data with information submitted in tax returns and other declarations. The restaurant sector includes businesses with different operating models and outlet sizes, making consistent reporting procedures important for effective monitoring. However, the reported registration and integration figures do not, on their own, establish whether every connected branch is consistently transmitting complete sales information.
Textile and leather retailers accounted for a separate portion of the system’s coverage. According to the FBR’s September list, 563 businesses in these categories were registered, while 10,770 branches had been integrated with the system. The number of connected branches is considerably higher than the number of registered businesses in this category, reflecting the distinction between business registrations and individual outlets. Integrating these branches is intended to strengthen the documentation of retail activity in textile and leather markets, where reliable transaction records can support the assessment and collection of applicable taxes.
The combined figures show that the FBR’s POS network covers a large number of outlets across general retail, textile and leather retail, and restaurants. The system is part of broader efforts to move business transactions into more traceable reporting channels and reduce reliance on information that cannot be readily verified. Electronic sales records can provide tax authorities with a basis for checking reported turnover and identifying discrepancies that may require examination. The actual benefits, however, depend on whether businesses remain connected, transmit accurate data and follow the applicable requirements. Integration is an important implementation milestone, but it is not the same as full compliance.
Connectivity has previously emerged as a concern in the monitoring of large retailers. Earlier reporting cited concerns that a significant proportion of Tier-I retail branches had been marked as disconnected, raising questions about the consistency of transaction reporting. This issue makes it important to distinguish the number of branches initially integrated from the number that remain actively connected and regularly transmit data. Effective monitoring requires not only installing or linking systems but also maintaining their operation, resolving technical interruptions and following up when outlets fail to provide the required information. The September figures provide an overview of the reported network, but they do not specify how many branches were actively transmitting data at the time of compilation.
For the FBR, expanding POS coverage is one part of a wider tax documentation effort aimed at improving the visibility of commercial activity and strengthening revenue administration. The system can help create electronic records of sales, but its contribution to tax collection will depend on enforcement, data quality and the extent to which the information is used to verify declarations. The reported total of 37,770 integrated branches and outlets marks the current scale of the network across the three covered categories as of September 2026. Continued attention to active connectivity, accurate reporting and compliance will be necessary to translate this coverage into more reliable tax documentation and better oversight of retail transactions.
Follow the PakBanker Whatsapp Channel for updates across Pakistan’s banking ecosystem.