Daily Times

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) released its 2018 tax directory for parliamentarians on Friday. According to FBR, former prime minister and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi paid the highest tax of Rs 241,329,362. Additionally, the AOP of which Abbasi is a member of, paid Rs 769,169 in taxes.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s tax payment in the year 2018 increased by Rs 178,686 from the year before to Rs 282,449. Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif paid more than Rs 9 million in taxes in 2018, while PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari paid Rs 294,117. PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari paid Rs 2.8 million in taxes.

Among the lawmakers and officials who did not pay any taxes, according to the data, are Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda and Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul; MNAs Mohsin Dawar, Zain Hussain Qureshi (PTI) and Naz Baloch (PPP); PTI Senator Faisal Javed; PML-N Senators Shamim Afridi and Rana Maqbool; and Punjab CM Usman Buzdar.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s tax payment amounted to Rs 1,022,184 in an individual capacity, while his AOP paid Rs 6.3 million. Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal paid Rs4.8 million in taxes and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan Rs235,982.

The lowest-paying parliamentarian in 2018 was PTI’s Kanwal Shauzab, who paid a mere Rs165 as tax.

Minister for Industries Hammad Azhar paid Rs 22,445 in taxes individually, while his AOP’s tax amounted to Rs59.4 million. Minister for Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri paid taxes through his AOP, which collectively paid Rs3.5 million.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood paid Rs 183,900, Planning Minister Asad Umar paid Rs5.3 million; Minister for Economic Affairs Khusro Bakhtiar’s paid Rs624,292; and Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry paid Rs1,698,651 in addition to his share in an AOP, which paid a total amount of Rs75,000.

Senator and Minister for Information Shibli Faraz paid Rs367,460, while Minister for National Food Security Fakhar Imam submitted Rs5.2 million in taxes.

Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari paid Rs2.4 million, while Defence Minister Pervez Khattak submitted Rs1.8 million. Interior Minister Ijaz Shah, meanwhile, paid Rs58,120 in 2018. Information Technology Minister Aminul Haque submitted Rs66,749 in taxes. National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser paid Rs537,730 in an individual capacity and also submitted taxes through his AOP, which collectively paid Rs5,790,500. Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri had submitted Rs32,000 in taxes, according to the tax directory. Law Minister Farogh Naseem, who paid over Rs35 million, was the highest tax-paying member of the Senate in 2018. Senate Chairperson Sadiq Sanjrani paid Rs1.3 million in taxes during 2018, while Deputy Chairperson Saleem Mandvivalla paid Rs1.5 million.