LAHORE – Prominent businessman and policy advocate Gohar Ejaz has called on the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to shift its focus from overtaxing existing filers to targeting the vast majority of non-taxpayers, using readily available banking data.
In a statement, Ejaz highlighted that Pakistan has just 5.9 million tax filers in FY2024–25, including 5.8 million individuals, 104,269 business partnerships (AOPs), and 87,900 companies. This figure represents only 8.4% of Pakistan’s 71 million-strong workforce.
In stark contrast, banks in Pakistan hold 177 million accounts belonging to 137 million unique account holders—roughly 60% of the adult population—with total deposits of PKR 32.7 trillion as of May 2025. Crucially, all of these accounts are backed by full Know Your Customer (KYC) data, making it easier for authorities to identify potential taxpayers.
@FBRPakistan needs help to find non-tax filers! This is where they need to look:
Total tax filers in Pakistan 5.9 million (FY25):
-Individuals: 5.8 million
-Business Partnerships (AOPs): 104,269
-Companies: 87,900Pakistan’s numbers tell a compelling story: Only 5.9 million…
— Dr Gohar Ejaz (@Gohar_Ejaz1) June 19, 2025
Despite collecting PKR 11.9 trillion in taxes during FY25—91.7% of the PKR 12.97 trillion target—the FBR continues to rely heavily on withholding taxes (PKR 1.59 trillion) and voluntary payments (PKR 1.12 trillion in 1HFY25) from the already compliant.
Ejaz stressed that chasing the 5.9 million existing filers further is neither fair nor sustainable. “With only 5.9 million filers compared to 137 million unique bank account holders, the FBR must rethink its approach,” he said. “All the data it needs is already in the banking system—accounts, transactions, and financial footprints of non-filers are available.”
He urged the FBR to embrace smart governance by using existing data to widen the tax net, rather than squeezing the salaried class and compliant taxpayers further. He also recommended capping the maximum tax slab for salaried individuals at 20%, to ease the burden on middle-income earners.
Looking ahead, the government aims to raise tax revenues from PKR 11.9 trillion in FY25 to PKR 14.1 trillion in FY26. Ejaz believes this goal is achievable—if the right people are brought into the tax system.
