Published in DAWN on November 09, 2025
THIS is
with reference to the editorial ‘Untaxed glamour’ (Nov 5), which rightly
pointed out that “no one … should be allowed to stay outside the reach of the
law”. While the move made by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) against tax
dodgers who flaunt their wealth on social media is commendable, what about
those who do not use social media and do not pay appropriate taxes, like the
shopkeepers in Peshawar’s Karkhano Bazaar and other such markets in the big
cities? I have heard some of them say that if any tax collector comes near
them, he would be lucky to escape unhurt.
Then there
are those who claim to derive their incomes from agriculture and, therefore,
proudly say that they are exempted from payment of income tax, hiding behind
the façade of a pittance that they pay as provincial agricultural tax.
Such pious
men, like retailers and owners of huge and multiple properties, for example,
regularly go to the holy land for pilgrimage, but do not register themselves
with the tax authorities. They argue that tax rupees mostly enrich the tax
collectors and those who rule the country. And, while we are still at it, why
not investigate the lifestyle of FBR employees to catch those indulging in
corruption?
Shakir
Lakhani
Karachi
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