Top Pakistani politicians pay little or no tax, study finds
Wednesday 12 December 2012
Printable
EmailMore than 60 per cent of Pakistan's cabinet and two-thirds of its politicians paid no tax last year, according to a new study published today.
The Representation without Taxation report claims Pakistan's elected leaders paid little or no tax despite each of them having an estimated average wealth of £550,000.
Pakistan has one of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratios in the world, estimated at 9.2 per cent.
Only 260,000 out of 180 million citizens have paid tax consecutively for the last three years, according to the Federal Board of Revenues.
The report by investigative journalist Umar Cheem marked the launch of the Centre for Investigative Reporting in Pakistan.
It said that President Asif Ali Zardari did not file a tax return in 2011 and neither did 34 of 55 Cabinet members.
Of the 20 cabinet ministers who did pay, most made only negligible contributions, including Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf who paid £908.
The Water and Power Minister Ahmad Mukhtar paid the most tax while Religious Affairs Minister Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah paid the least with just £275.
The report also showed that among all members of the upper and lower houses of parliament, 67 per cent failed to file tax returns in 2011 and 78 members are still not registered with a national taxation number.
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