The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has ordered all registered textile spinning units to install video surveillance cameras by November 15, 2026, to monitor the processing of natural, synthetic and blended fibres electronically.
The directive was issued through Sales Tax General Order No. 30. The cameras will track the processing of fibres such as cotton, polyester, viscose, wool and acrylic when they are handled in loose, unbaled or other non-bale forms. Monitoring will be carried out through video surveillance and video analytics.
According to the FBR, the new arrangement is in addition to the monitoring of cotton bales already required under Sales Tax General Order No. 08 of 2025. That order remains in force, and the new order is to be read as an addition to it.
Under the new order, cameras must be installed at hopper bale openers, hopper feeders, weighing hoppers and blending feeders that mix natural and synthetic fibres, designated blowroom lines for synthetic fibres, waste openers and recycling lines. They must also cover points where fibres are stored or mixed before being moved to the blowroom.
The FBR has also directed vendors of board-approved video analytics systems to connect these cameras to their platforms. The vendors must ensure that the systems can identify, count and measure the quantity of fibres supplied in loose or unbaled form.
The order requires each system to provide:
- real-time video recording of the production process
- instant receipt of production-related data
- identification and counting of items
- immediate transmission of data to the FBR’s central control unit
- record retention
- detection of unexpected stoppages
- quantitative analysis of production
- data analytics for use in legal proceedings
The new directives take effect immediately.
