THE Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Friday launched the sixth consecutive Tax Directory of Parliamentarians for Tax Year 2018, which reveals interesting aspects about payment of taxes by representatives. It shows former Prime Minister and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi clinched the top position by paying highest tax of Rs241,329,362 as individual taxpayer and Rs769,169 as Association of Person (AOP) among all MNAs. Prime Minister Imran Khan paid just Rs 282,449 tax, Leader of the Opposition Mian Shahbaz Sharif paid Rs 9,730,545 tax and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari Rs 2,891,455. Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar, Federal Minister for Water Resources Muhammad Faisal Vawda, Federal Minister Zartaj Gul, Senators Shamim Afridi, Faisal Javed and Rana Maqbool as well as Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan’s son MNA Mansoor Hayat Khan did not pay any tax.
The publication of the directory is a welcome move as it enables people to know what their representatives, who are supposed to be role model as far as payment of taxes is concerned, contributed to the national exchequer. Contesting elections in Pakistan is a costly affair as it involves expenditure worth millions of rupees on the part of the contestants. Similarly, almost all Senators, members of the National Assembly and members of the provincial assemblies maintain a luxurious lifestyle but the tax directory does not reflect this and regrettably some legislators paid no taxes at all while others paid only a few hundred – less than what a lower division clerk of the government pays. What is justification for non-payment of taxes for those who run factories or flourishing businesses and are leaders of their tribes? The Government, throughout the year, launches campaigns to motivate people to become filers and pay their due taxes but the facts highlighted by the tax directory of parliamentarians send depressing signals to masses. According to Advisor on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh a total amount of Rs 800 million had been deposited as tax by the parliamentarians belonging to the National Assembly and the Senate for the year ending June 2018 while members of the four provincial assemblies paid just Rs 340 million. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who is hunted frequently on charges of corruption and wrongdoings, deserves credit for setting highest standards of honesty in payment of taxes and others need to emulate his good example.
