FTO seeks explanation over FBR’s failure to obtain UAE golden visa data

The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has issued a notice to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) over its failure to obtain data from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) concerning golden visas issued by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Pakistani residents who have invested abroad, BR reported. 

Under Section 175A of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001—introduced via the Finance Act 2020—the FIA was required to provide the FBR with real-time access to its international travel and immigration visa data. Until such access was operational, the FIA was legally bound to periodically share the data. 

However, neither real-time access nor periodic data transfers have taken place to date.

The FTO has asked the FBR’s Member Tax Policy and the Director General (International Taxes) to submit a report by July 29. This action follows the FBR’s inaction for over five years since legislation enabled it to access such data. 

The visas in question are granted against a minimum investment of AED 2 million—over Rs150 million at current exchange rates.

The FTO’s action was prompted by a complaint filed by a citizen, highlighting the lapse as maladministration. The FTO has directed the FBR to file its official comments before the end of this month.