Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Federal Board of Revenue to strengthen engagement with the business community and resolve its genuine issues on a priority basis.

He was chairing a review meeting on FBR reforms in Islamabad on today.

The Prime Minister instructed the senior FBR officers to visit Karachi during the first week of every month to maintain direct interaction with the business community and ensure prompt resolution of their issues.

He said the business community is the backbone of the national economy and should be provided every possible facilitation to enhance production and promote exports.

The Prime Minister said Pakistan's economy is moving on the path of stability and the current year will be a year of economic growth and expansion of business activities.

He said companies that comply with tax laws will be officially recognized and encouraged by the government.

Shehbaz Sharif said the government's objective is to improve the ease of doing business, promote investment and exports, and make the tax system more transparent and simpler in order to enhance the confidence of the business community.

The meeting was informed that production monitoring systems have been installed in the sugar, cement, tobacco, tiles and fertilizer industries, while installation of similar systems in the textile and beverages sectors is underway.

The briefing revealed that production monitoring in the sugar industry generated an additional 42 billion rupees in tax collection during the past year.

It was further told that the cement industry contributed an additional 38 billion rupees, while the beverages industry generated 15 billion rupees in additional tax revenue through production monitoring over the same period.