Over 160 Pakistani lawmakers in violation of tax laws, says report

Over 160 Pakistani lawmakers - owning combined assets of over Rs 35 billion (USD 200 million) - are either not paying income tax or are yet to register with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), according to a media report on Thursday.

Of the 1,170 lawmakers in the country, including National Assembly and Provincial government members, 161 are in violation of tax laws, Geo News reported, splitting these leaders into two groups of 103 MPs who have not paid the calculated taxes and the rest who are yet to register with the FBR, which serves as the apex tax authority in the country.

Though the Geo News article did not mention names of these leaders, it wrote at least 76 MPs are from major political parties, and two hold Minister portfolios in the Federal Cabinet.


The article further said four of these MPs have purchased properties collectively worth millions of dollars in the UK, the UAE and Norway in the last decade.

Around a dozen among them have declared capital-intensive businesses namely construction, petrol pumps, among others.

The Geo News made the revelations based on the Parliamentarians Tax Directory for fiscal year 2018-19. The data for 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 are yet to be issued.

Non-filing of return and wealth statement is a violation of Sections 114 and 116 under the Revenue Division. Section 114 also stipulates obligation for filing of return for various other criteria, even if an individual owns an immovable property of 500 square yards or a motor vehicle with an engine capacity above 1000CC.