The Federal Board of Revenue has ordered every maker and packer of packaged tea in Pakistan to install electronic production monitoring on each packing line by 10 December 2026, with every retail pack counted before it leaves the factory. TechJuice reported that the directive was issued on Thursday under Sales Tax General Order No. 35 of 2026, and applies to registered manufacturers, blenders and packers, including toll and contract packers.

The order 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. The monitoring system must sit on every packing line at the point after each retail pack is filled and sealed, using barcode scanners, counting sensors and other equipment.

How the system will work

Each time a pack passes the monitoring point, the system will read its barcode to identify the stock-keeping unit, count the pack and record the count against approved product data. The data must be sent to the Federal Board of Revenue in real time through solutions provided by board-authorised vendors. The system will cover all barcoded packaged tea products, in every size and weight.

Manufacturers must also register product details with an authorised vendor so the system can be integrated. That includes the brand, weight, packaging type, retail price, barcode and a photograph of the product. Any new product, or any change to an existing one, must be registered at least seven days before packing begins.

Two deadlines to meet

The order sets two dates. Within 15 days of the order, every pack must carry a unique, machine-readable barcode, printed on the pack or securely attached to it. A separate barcode is required for each distinct brand, blend, weight and packaging type, so a barcode shared between products will not pass. The full monitoring system must then be installed and working on every line by or before 10 December 2026.

Four vendors have been authorised by the board for the tea sector: Excellence Delivered (ExD) Private Limited, the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation, Tollink Pakistan Private Limited and AJCL Private Limited. Chief Commissioners Inland Revenue have been told to nominate dedicated focal persons to coordinate with manufacturers, the authorised vendors and the board so the deadlines are met.

Who is covered

The board has identified 14 registered manufacturers and packers: Tapal Tea, Mezan Tea, Islamabad Tea Company, Alpha Tea, Leader Tea, Top Tea Company, Kohistan Foods, Quality Products, Noor Tea Company, Ahbaab Impex, DK Products Private Limited, Kamal Foods, Raaz Industries Private Limited and Eastern Products Private Limited. The order applies to all of them, and to any other registered maker or packer of packaged tea.

Why the board is acting

The board has introduced electronic production monitoring in several sectors to narrow a sales tax gap of more than Rs3 trillion between what is collected and what could be collected. Counting packs as they leave the line gives the board a direct record of production, rather than relying on figures reported later. The order does not change the sales tax rate on tea or any retail price; it only sets up the counting of packs, Pakera reported after reading the full five-page order on the board's website.