FBR orders tea makers to install production monitors by December 10
The order, STGO 35 of 2026, names 14 manufacturers and packers including Tapal and Mezan and requires every retail pack to be recorded before it leaves the factory.
The Federal Board of Revenue has directed registered tea manufacturers, blenders and packers to install electronic production monitoring systems by December 10, 2026, making it mandatory to record every retail pack before it is removed from factory premises.
The order, Sales Tax General Order No. 35 of 2026, also applies to toll and contract packers. Profit reported that the FBR ties the measure to an estimated gap of more than Rs3 trillion between potential and actual sales tax collections, and describes it as an effort to improve compliance.
It covers black tea, green tea, flavoured tea, tea bags, instant tea, tea extracts and premixes containing milk powder or sugar, in every retail format from sachets and pouches to cartons, jars, tins and bulk packs.
Equipment is to be fitted at the point on each packing line immediately after a retail pack has been filled and sealed, according to Profit. Industrial barcode scanners will read the barcode on each pack to identify its stock-keeping unit, and counting sensors will record how many packs are produced under each SKU. Production data will be transmitted to the FBR in real time through systems supplied by vendors the board has authorised.
The FBR has identified 14 registered manufacturers and packers for the system, Profit reported: Tapal Tea, Mezan Tea, Islamabad Tea Company, Alpha Tea, Leader Tea, Top Tea Company, Kohistan Foods, Quality Products, Noor Tea Co., Ahbaab Impex, DK Products (Pvt) Ltd, Kamal Foods, Raaz Industries (Pvt) Ltd and Eastern Products (Pvt) Ltd.
Firms have 15 days from the date of the order to make sure every retail product carries a unique machine-readable barcode. Each separate combination of brand, blend, weight and packaging type must be given its own barcode, printed on or securely attached to the pack.
Product information has to be registered with an authorised vendor for integration with the FBR system, including the brand, weight, packaging type, retail price, barcode and a photograph. A new product, or a change to an existing one, must be filed at least seven days before packing begins, so that the monitoring system can identify and record its output.
The board has asked Chief Commissioners Inland Revenue to nominate focal persons to coordinate with manufacturers, authorised vendors and the FBR on implementation.
How the reports differ
All three reports carry the same December 10 deadline and the same scope of products and packaging. Profit alone listed the 14 named companies, the 15-day window to put a unique barcode on every retail product and the seven-day notice required before packing a new or changed item. Dawn led on the order itself and the requirement to record each pack before it leaves the factory premises, while Investify, which summarises business news, named three of the 14 firms, Tapal, Mezan and Kohistan Foods, and put the Rs3 trillion sales tax gap in its opening summary.
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