ISLAMABAD: More than 2.03 million wealthy people in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province are not paying any taxes.
Less than one million people in Sindh, 386,233 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 69,174 in Baluchistan, 5,311 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 46,657 in Pakistan-administered Kashmir (AJK) are evading taxes, revealed data compiled by National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and shared with the Federal Board of Revenue for action.
At the same time, the tax returns filing rate in Punjab also falls behind the rest of the country. In Punjab, 54 percent people, who are taxpayers, did not file returns last year.
Data gathered from known sources identified five urban centres of the Punjab where 100,000 to 439,901 wealthy people living in palatial houses, owning luxurious cars, travelling frequently abroad, possessing arms, holding multiple bank accounts and paying hefty utility bills, were paying no income tax.
Lahore emerged as a major city where 439,901 wealthy people did not pay taxes in 2012, followed by 208,274 in Rawalpindi; 165,698 in Faisalabad; 116,748 in Sialkot and 110,864 in Gujranwala.
In Multan the number of wealthy people not on the tax roll are 89,045; Gujrat 84,822; Sargodha 59,548; Rahim Yar Khan 56,561; Sheikhupura 52,979; Bahawalpur 42,742; Jhang 39,509; Jhelum 36,841; Toba Tek Singh 35,277; Sahiwal 33,990; Attock 33,495; and Okara 31,498.
The cities, which have more than 90,000 people, but there are less than 30,000 people who do not fall under the tax net include Mandi Bahauddin, Kasur, Vehari, Chakwal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Khanewal, Muzaffargarh, Narowal, Kotli, Hafizabad, Pakpattan, Khushab, Mirpurkhas, Lodhran, Layyah, Rajanpur, Naushero Feroz and Bhakkar.
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