The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has already started to look into wealth of some former and incumbent members of parliament and ministers to see whether they have evaded tax, sources said.
The NBR has taken this move following the drive of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against seven MPs and ministers who reportedly accumulated unusual wealth during the last five years.
What the NBR will inquire is if they have concealed information about income and expenditure, movable and immovable wealth and such other properties. Besides, it will examine into wealth and properties in the name of their wives and children.
On condition of anonymity, an officer of the NBR said that they have launched the activity a few days ago. “All taxpayers are equal in the eyes of NBR. No separated rule exists for the powerful. If it finds out anyone guilty, she or he will have to bear consequences”, he said.
The officer said that it would be an offence if the NBR finds dissimilarity in one’s statement of income and expenditure, adding that it was also an offence to conceal wealth in the name of anyone’s wives and children.
NBR was doing the work as per its authorisation, he said, adding, “It will make clear whether any person or organisation is paying tax properly”. He continued, “The NBR will seize the bank accounts of those in case of finding dissimilarities in wealth statements. If it finds tax evasion by anyone, it will fine double in cash”.
Abdul Majeed, former Chairman of NBR, said that if the NBR could collect unpaid tax from the tax evaders, the incident of tax evasion would fall.
