I am one of those unfortunate tax filers who is amongst the 800,000 people of Pakistan paying taxes and disclosing assets honestly. People like me have been filers since the first day of starting work even if it was a measly salary or earnings from a small start-up business or a successful business venture.
We not only pay taxes regularly but also disclose our net worth, documenting our spending through debit and credit cards, and being believers in transparency. We could not appreciate the acumen of smart people who successfully avoid disclosing their earnings, assets, paying taxes or becoming filers documenting their incomes.
If at all they are forced to become filers, they specialise in ways and means of still not paying taxes. Our education from the best universities and par excellence professional training failed to teach us this simple formula of success and making money.
Today, we bear the burden of 20 crore people of Pakistan and we have collapsed under it, but our government is still trying to bury us with more taxes, whilst 96 percent of people do not have to shoulder any of it.
Four percent of the population contributes towards FBR salaries, and they have been asked ‘to do more’ as the state is not interested in pursuing non filers and those who know the art of ‘tax savings’.
The smart people have refused to fall for the governments trap to become tax payers, whilst we the sufferers, do not have the immoral courage to avoid taxes. We are oxymorons who believe in the rule of law, transparency and being honest, but now we are asking tax evaders to teach us how to be non-filers.
I am one of those unfortunate tax filers who is amongst the 800,000 dumb people of Pakistan paying taxes and disclosing assets honestly. People like me have been filers since the first day of starting work even if it was a measly salary or earnings from a small start-up business or a successful business venture
Many of us are also thinking of taking up jobs and doing business which have minimum disclosure requirements. Can the smart people give me advice related to this? Since it is absolutely legal to not be a filer, and own millions worth of assets and make far more money in a month than the majority makes in a year.
To emulate the smart non-filers, some of us are thinking of opening a consultancy to teach this skill and rake in millions ourselves!
The writer is a Lawyer who writes on social and government issues and policy. She tweets @humzee1
Published in Daily Times, September 26th 2018.