B Mirror Report: The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has made it mandatory to use information from the ASYCUDA System in determining income tax liabilities in a move aimed at ensuring greater transparency and accuracy in tax assessments.

In a press release issued on Thursday, the NBR said tax officials have been instructed to collect actual data on the value of imported goods and the amount of advance income tax (AIT) paid at the import stage from the Business Intelligence (BI) Server of the ASYCUDA System and use those data while assessing income tax.

To implement the decision, an order was issued on March 4, 2026, directing all tax zones under the Income Tax Wing of the NBR to follow the new guidelines.

According to the directive, detailed instructions have been provided for income tax officials on how to use the BI Server of the ASYCUDA System during tax assessment procedures.

The order states that 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 concerned Range Officers must collect relevant data from the BI Server if the taxpayer is an importer.

Under the new guidelines, Range Officers will gather information on the value of imported goods and the actual amount of advance income tax paid at the import stage. The information will then be communicated in writing to the respective Circle Officers for assessment purposes.

Commissioners and Inspecting Range Officers will be able to access the BI Server through designated IP-bounded computers. The data collected from the server will be regularly recorded in a specific register by the Inspecting Range Officers.

Initially, assessing officers will not have direct access to the BI Server. Instead, the required information will be provided to them through the Inspecting Range Officers.

The NBR said the use of data from the ASYCUDA System’s BI Server will allow easy verification of the quantity and value of imported goods and the advance income tax collected at the import stage while disposing of income tax cases.

The initiative is expected to ensure transparent and accurate credit of advance income tax, prevent tax evasion, increase revenue collection and facilitate faster settlement of income tax cases with greater transparency and accountability.

The revenue authority also noted that the move would make the income tax refund process more transparent, simpler and quicker.

The NBR expressed hope that the initiative would usher in a new era of information exchange between the Customs and Income Tax wings, strengthening coordination between the two departments.

If implemented successfully, the measure is expected to ensure greater transparency in the tax assessment process and reduce unnecessary harassment of businesspersons, the press release added.