ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has provisionally collected Rs6,154 billion during the first six months (July-December) 2025-26 against the target of Rs6,490 billion, reflecting a shortfall of Rs336 billion. The shortfall in revenue collection during December 2025 may prompt the government to activate contingency measures as agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The provisional data compiled on Wednesday revealed that the provisional tax collection figure for December 2025 stood at Rs1421 billion against the monthly target of Rs1446 billion, reflecting a shortfall of Rs25 billion. The tax collection target of the FBR has been revised downward - from Rs 14,307 billion to Rs 13,979 billion for 2025-26, reflecting a decrease of Rs 328 billion. READ MORE: Banks to extend hours for tax collection on Dec 31: SBP According to the FBR, the achievement of the target during (July-December) 2025-26 stood at 94.8 percent. The gross collection stood at Rs 6447.4billion during first six months (July-December) 2025-26. After payment of refunds of Rs292.6 billion, the net collection amounted to Rs6154.8 billion during the period under review. The government has assured the IMF that it will implement agreed contingency revenue measures including 5 percent Federal Excise Duty (FED) on fertilizer and pesticides and introduce FED on high-value sugary items in case a shortfall in tax collection of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) continues till December 2025. The government has committed to IMF that if revenue were to fall short of expectations by end-December 2025, the authorities plan to adopt additional measures to safeguard the fiscal targets, including increasing excises on fertilizers and pesticides by 5 percentage points, introducing excises on high-value sugary items, and broadening the sales tax base by moving select items to the standard rate. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026