ISLAMABAD: After getting a nod from the federal cabinet, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has dispatched notices to the residential addresses of 100 tax defaulters who owned millions of rupees, exotic properties and luxury vehicles.
Sources told this scribe that the tax department, in its first phase, has sent tax notices to 91 people who purchased exotic properties, while nine notices were sent to those who purchased luxury vehicles.
The tax department has sent notices to the alleged defaulters after collecting the relevant information, sources said, adding that the accused were not filing the returns and even lacked a national tax number.
Examining the record, it was revealed most of the accused people had invested around Rs 200 billion in the property sector without paying any taxes. Sources further reveal that all accused people were permanent residents of Pakistan.
One senior official told Pakistan today that FBR could manage to retrieve a big amount from the accused individuals if the department pursued the matter vigorously.
It is pertinent to mention that the tax department had sent notices to around 700 Pakistanis who owned properties in Britain and UAE in August this year as these individuals did not avail the amnesty scheme.
Recently, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had to face severe criticism when it proposed in the supplementary budget to allow non-filers to purchased vehicles and property.
In the last finance bill, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government had barred the non-filers from purchasing vehicles and property exceeding than Rs 5 million.
The federal cabinet on Thursday gave the approval to hold accountable top 100 tax defaulters of the country. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary told the journalists that a “massive operation” will be conducted against top 100 defaulters of the FBR and government will not be blackmailed at the hands of mafias while implementing reforms and accountability initiatives.
