ISLAMABAD: The government has included media persons, sportsmen and real estate tycoons in its hunt list of top tax evaders amid increasing pressure on the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to give quick results to address one of the biggest issues of Pakistan’s economy – the yawning budget deficit.
The Chief Commissioners of Inland Revenue Service (CCIR) Conference, a gathering of heads of all field formations of the FBR, on Thursday deliberated over the cases of high-profile tax evaders. The meeting had been convened three weeks after Prime Minister Imran Khan directed tax officers to go after big tax dodgers.
It has been decided to pick top 100 cases from every Regional Tax Office (RTO) and Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU), which will expand the final list to 2,400, according to FBR officials. These 2,400 people are politicians, celebrities, sportsmen, media persons and real estate tycoons, according to the FBR. The chief commissioners’ conference was held on a day when the prime minister once again warned that he may dissolve the FBR due to its extremely poor performance. Addressing a gathering of chambers, PM Khan said he may set up a new organisation if the FBR did not improve its affairs.
