{
  "id": 7206716,
  "title": "President upholds FBR data confidentiality order",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/president-upholds-fbr-data-confidentiality-order",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-13T23:59:48.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40439346/president-upholds-fbr-data-confidentiality-order"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari has approved the Federal Tax Ombudsman's directive that Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) field workers must be vigilant when handling taxpayers' sensitive data to maintain its confidentiality during official use. The President rejected FBR's objections to a Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) order concerning the disclosure of private taxpayer information. The case centered around six identical complaints from Dr Usman Iqbal Aujla and other individuals, who accused unauthorized sharing of sensitive tax data in assessment orders of related taxpayers. They claimed that information on wealth, income, and gains from investments was reproduced in other taxpayers' assessment orders, which they deemed unauthorized disclosure under Section 216 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. The FBR argued that such data was already publicly available through tax returns, wealth statements, and declarations, and that the Income Tax Ordinance permitted disclosure to individuals acting on behalf of the tax department. However, the FTO ruled that unauthorized disclosure to unqualified individuals was prohibited under the ordinance and that relevant information should be used confidentially for official purposes and stored in departmental records rather than being included in other taxpayers' assessment orders. The FTO directed the Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue to review the affected assessment orders and take appropriate action under the Income Tax Ordinance and relevant laws to prevent future unauthorized disclosure of personal taxpayer information.",
  "summary": "ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has upheld the order of the Federal Tax Ombudsman that the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) field officials should exercise due caution in future to ensure that the confidentiality of taxpayers’ tax related information and personal data is ensured during utilization for official purposes. The President has dismissed the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR)…",
  "key_points": [
    "President Asif Ali Zardari upholds FBR data confidentiality order.",
    "FTO rejects FBR's objections to sensitive taxpayer information protection.",
    "Unauthorized disclosure of private tax data prohibited under Income Tax Ordinance."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}