The government was rolling out an ambitious plan to go digital in order to ensure transparency and collection of authentic data, Prime Minister Imran Khan said, as ministries remain stuck in a paper-driven culture that experts say is hurting productivity.
While Pakistan has made digital transformation its main policy plank, the switch may not prove so easy as bureaucrats from different ministries still are not able to hold teleconferences together and little of their administrative work can be done online.
Analysts say the lack of government digitalisation could reduce the incentive for the private sector to go digital in a blow to Pakistan’s efforts to boost productivity.
The prime minister, in his message on International Customs Day annually observed on Wednesday, felicitated Pakistan Customs on its contribution in trade facilitation, revenue collection and safeguarding the nation’s borders against smuggling and illicit trafficking.
“It is a matter of satisfaction to note Pakistan Customs was able to generate useful data regarding trade transactions which is not only being utilised by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in revenue analysis and audits but also by many other government organisations for policymaking,” he said.
The launch of the track and trace system by FBR will digitise the economy and boost additional revenues.
The prime minister said the 2022 International Customs Day theme “Scaling up Customs Digital Transformation by embracing a Data Culture and Building a Data Ecosystem” emphasised the need for Pakistan Customs to further strengthen and develop data analytics.
It will enable the government to effectively manage and process the trade and seizures data to upgrade Risk Management System (RMS) for better trade facilitation and strict enforcement, he added.
Khan said his government achieved record tax collection which was possible by employing e-filing for ease of tax-payers.
Moreover, through the policy of ease-of-doing-business, the government was facilitating investors through one window by utilizing online portals. It is, therefore, imperative to adopt digital technologies for the benefit and welfare of people, he added.
