Tag: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)

  • FBR freezes all bank accounts of singer Aima Baig

    FBR freezes all bank accounts of singer Aima Baig

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has frozen all bank accounts related to Pakistani singer, Aima Baig over unpaid taxes on Wednesday. She has not paid her taxes from the years 2018, 2019, and 2020.

    She allegedly withdrew Rs 25 million from her bank accounts and emptied them before FBR attempted to recover money from the accounts.

    Now FBR is planning to seize all vehicles belonging to the singer.

    On January 14, 2022, Aima received a notice from the FBR for non-payment of taxes worth Rs 85 million.

    On the work front, the singer will feature in Pakistan Super Leagues’ (PSL) Anthem along with Atif Aslam. The music will be produced by Abdullah Siddiqui.

    She was recently in the news over a controversial video where she showed her middle finger to a person in the crowd during her concert.

    Aima clarified the reason for her actions, saying she did it because someone in the crowd did it first to her.

  • FBR issues notice to Multan’s ‘richest’ beggar

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued a notice to Multan’s ‘richest’ beggar, Shaukat ‘Bikhari’, after finding out his assets, ARY News reported. 

    The notice was sent to Shaukat as the FBR unearthed Rs1.7 million deposit in his bank account, while his children are enrolled in an expensive school.

    FBR asked the beggar to show the sources of his income and why he had failed to submit his tax returns. FBR also questioned how he managed to buy life insurance of Rs10 million for his children. 

    Some reports claim that Shaukat absconded after receiving the notice from FBR. A team has been formed to trace his whereabouts. 

    A video went viral on social media showing Shaukat saying that he is a resident of Multan’s Shah Jamal area and had been begging in the area and earning Rs1,000 per day.

  • FBR extends date for filing income tax returns ‘due to serious technical problems’

    FBR extends date for filing income tax returns ‘due to serious technical problems’

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has extended the date for filing income tax returns till October 15. Earlier, the last date for filling income tax returns was September 30. FBR had said at many times that it would not extend the deadline for people seeking to file their income tax returns, but the deadline was extended on Thursday.

    “In exercise of powers conferred under Section 214A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, the Federal Board of Revenue is pleased to extend the date of fling of income tax return for tax year 2021, by 15 days i.e. up to 15.10.21 due to serious technical problems in online return filing system (IRIS),” said the notification issued by FBR.

    As per Geo News, Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin decided to extend the date considering the constant demands from the business community. The tax-collection body had received several applications for the extension of the deadline for filing income tax returns.

  • FBR reportedly gives Atif Aslam one month to pay Rs 58 million tax

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has reportedly sent Atif Aslam a tax notice worth 58 million after the audit of his income for the year 2018.

    According to reports, Aslam has been given one month’s notice to pay the tax. If the singer fails to pay the due amount, the revenue board will make the recovery by freezing his bank accounts.

    This is not the first time a member of the entertainment industry has come on FBR’s radar. In October 2020, the FBR launched an inquiry to investigate Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s sources of income.

    Earlier in 2019, the FBR also launched an initiative to collect tax from the citizens and requested showbiz and media personalities to declare their assets, warning them that if they don’t they will also face disciplinary action.

    Meanwhile, Atif is one of Pakistan’s biggest stars. Earlier, the singer made it to the inaugural Forbes Asia’s 100 Digital Stars list. The list highlights celebrities from across the Asia Pacific region who have taken the digital world by storm, according to a press release.

  • Top economist wants govt to make Maulana Tariq Jamil chief of FBR

    Top economist wants govt to make Maulana Tariq Jamil chief of FBR

    If honesty is the sole criterion for the appointment of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) head then the government should request cleric Maulana Tariq Jamil to head the tax watchdog, said top economist Dr Ikramul Haq while criticising the government’s tax policies.

    In an Express News show, the economist said the use of technology and enforcement of laws were important to achieve tax targets.

    “If tax collection can be increased through honesty alone, we should request Maulana Tariq Jamil to head the FBR,” the economist said, alluding to the remarks made by Imran Khan before the 2018 elections that an “honest leadership” could convince people to pay taxes and become a tax-compliant nation.

    He also urged the government to relax the definition of non-resident person to one year to facilitate those who were stuck in the country due to Covid-19.

    Haq was of the view that the government should make a general rule to facilitate the people instead of waiting for them to individually plead their cases regarding overstay due to the pandemic as scores of non-resident persons have accidentally become Pakistani residents.

    According to the economist, the FBR should send tax returns to the people to measure the response. According to the TV show, at least 72 per cent of people didn’t file tax returns: 4.7million out of the total 6.5m.

  • Rise in mobile phones import by 63%: PTA

    The country has witnessed a 63% increase in the import of mobile devices via legal channels for the year 2018-19, according to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

    Since the implementation of the Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS), around 17.2 million devices were imported in 2018 while 28.02 million were imported in 2019.

    This year Pakistan has imported around 32.83 million devices so far, as per PTA’s press release.

    PTA implemented DIRBS System in December 2018, with the aim to curtail counterfeit mobile phone usage, discourage mobile phone theft and protect consumer interest. Through DIRBS, PTA has identified and blocked 24.3 Million fake replica mobile devices and 657,645 IMEIs that were duplicated.

    The implementation of DIRBS has also been the catalyst for local mobile devices manufacturing, leading to the establishment of 29 local assembly facilities. Since 2019, over 20 million devices have produced in these facilities.

    Moreover, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has collected a total of Rs90 billion in customs duties on formal imports during January 2010-November 2020. This is Rs68 billion more custom duties as compared to custom duties collected in 2018. i.e. Rs22 billion.

    DIRBS has enabled FBR to collect Rs9bn revenue under the individual category from January 2019 to Dec 3, 2020. The PTA said it was an untapped area and no revenue was being collected in this category before the implementation of DIRBS.