PRA Sends Notices to Over 70 Punjab Hotels and Restaurants Over E-IMS Bills

The Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) has sent notices to more than 70 hotels, restaurants and marquees in two days for not using its electronic invoice system. Some restaurants that ignored earlier notices have been fined, PRA said on 1 October 2026.

The system is called the Electronic Invoice Monitoring System, or E-IMS. It links a business's till to PRA, so every bill is reported to the tax authority as it is printed. Businesses above PRA's sales threshold must issue every receipt through it.

We read the PRA statement, released through the Punjab government's press office, on 2 October 2026. For a diner, the practical point is simple. A proper bill from a Punjab restaurant, hotel or wedding hall should now come from a machine and carry a PRA QR code.

PRA sent notices to over 70 businesses in two days

PRA enforcement officers issued notices to more than 70 hotels, restaurants and marquees over two days for failing to follow E-IMS rules. They also fined several restaurants that kept breaking the rules after an earlier notice, PRA's spokesperson said.

PRA did not name the businesses or the cities in its statement. It did not give the amounts of the fines either. It said only that the drive is province-wide and that "heavy penalties" are being imposed on those involved in fraud.

A marquee is a wedding or event hall, often a large tent or covered lawn.

Why PRA wants every bill on E-IMS

E-IMS lets PRA match the sales a business declares in its tax return against the bills it actually printed. If a restaurant reports less than it sold, the gap shows up. PRA says this protects the sales tax that customers already pay.

When you pay a restaurant bill in Punjab, part of it is Punjab sales tax on services. That money is meant to reach the province. If the bill is handwritten, nothing tells PRA the sale took place, and the tax you paid can stay with the business.

PRA's statement says businesses must give customers "computerized and verifiable receipts" after payment. The sales and tax records of businesses on E-IMS will be monitored digitally.

This is not the federal system. The Federal Board of Revenue runs a separate point of sale system for sales tax on goods, such as shop and supermarket receipts. If a shop gives you a doubtful till slip, the route is to report a fake or non-POS invoice to FBR. A meal, a hotel room or a hall booking is a service, so in Punjab it falls to PRA.

What a valid restaurant bill in Punjab looks like

A valid bill in Punjab should be printed through E-IMS and carry the business name, address, a receipt number and a PRA QR code. A kitchen order slip, a handwritten total or a bill-book page is not a valid receipt under PRA's August 2026 rules.

The full rules, and what changed in August, are set out under Punjab's ban on handwritten restaurant bills. Here is the short version to keep in mind at the counter.

1. Ask for a printed bill before you pay, not after.
2. Look for the PRA QR code on the bill.
3. Check that the business name, address and receipt number are printed.
4. Check that the sales tax shown matches the total you are asked to pay.
5. Keep the bill, or a photo of it, until you are sure of the charge.

If a hall or caterer quotes one price "with bill" and a lower price "without bill", that is the practice PRA says it is chasing. The lower price is not your saving. It is tax that goes unreported.

Penalties for businesses are reported, not published

PRA has not published its penalty amounts on its own website. Fines of Rs 400,000 to Rs 1 million and sealing of premises for up to a month were widely reported in August 2026, but we could not read them in a PRA document.

The 1 October statement does not give any amount either. It says only that businesses that keep breaking E-IMS rules after a notice "will face action in accordance with the law".

So treat those figures as reported. A business owner who has had a notice should ask PRA directly for the section of law and the penalty that applies. PRA's helpline is 042-111-000-772, printed on its site.

How to complain about a restaurant bill in Punjab

If a Punjab restaurant, hotel or marquee refuses an E-IMS bill, you can complain to PRA. Its website has a "How to File a Complaint" guide, and its helpline is 042-111-000-772. Keep a photo of what you were given.

We read both on the Punjab Revenue Authority site on 2 October 2026. The office is at 5-B Danepur Road, GOR-1, Lahore.

A tax complaint will not get you a refund. If the problem is an overcharge, a wrong item or a refused refund rather than a missing receipt, Punjab's consumer law is the better tool, and the rules on shop receipts and refunds in Punjab explain what a seller owes you.

Common questions

What is E-IMS in Punjab?

The Electronic Invoice Monitoring System. It reports each bill a business prints straight to the Punjab Revenue Authority.

How many businesses got PRA notices?

More than 70 hotels, restaurants and marquees over two days, PRA said on 1 October 2026.

Is a handwritten restaurant bill legal in Punjab?

No. PRA requires restaurants, hotels and halls under E-IMS to issue printed bills with a PRA QR code.

How much is the PRA fine for not using E-IMS?

PRA has not published it. Rs 400,000 to Rs 1 million was reported in August 2026, but we could not confirm it at source.

Does this apply in Karachi or Peshawar?

No. PRA covers Punjab only. Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have their own revenue authorities and rules.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 2 October 2026. The notices to more than 70 hotels, restaurants and marquees, the fines on repeat offenders, the purpose of E-IMS and the promise of legal action were read in the PRA statement of 1 October 2026 issued through the Punjab government's press office. PRA's helpline, address and complaint guide were read on the PRA website. The penalty range is reported only; PRA has not published it on its own site.