Non-filers have until Feb 28 to pay up, says FBR chief

ISLAMABAD: FBR Chairman Tariq Bajwa has said parliamentarians who did not pay taxes or file their returns have until Feb 28 to do so and if they don’t then action will be taken against them.
More than 30 MNAs and Senators are among the 100 parliamentarians who have not bothered to file their tax returns so far, The News has learnt.There are two categories of parliamentarians. Some parliamentarians out of 1,072 filed their returns but showed nil income. The other category is of the 100 parliamentarians who are non filers.
The Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in his statement on the eve of launching tax directory himself stated that 1,072 parliamentarians out of 1,172, filed their returns meaning thereby that remaining can be called non-filers in the official language of the FBR.
The Parliamentarians Tax Directory 2013 reveals details about those 1,072 parliamentarians who have filed their tax returns out of total 1,172. The Tax Directory did not share any information about those who did not bother to file their returns.
When contacted Chairman FBR Tariq Bajwa on Monday said that a provisional tax directory was issued by the FBR and time has been given to parliamentarians to come up and file their returns till February 28 after which the tax directory would be finalised.
“Law will take its own course for those who do not file their returns by February 28,” he added.There are 17 MNAs and 14 Senators who did not bother to file their income tax returns so far.
The non-filer MNAs include: PML-N MNA from NA-23 Mr Sarzameen; PTI MNA from NA-25 Engineer Dawar Khan Kundi; PML-N MNA from NA-69 Malik Muhammad Uzair Khan; PML-N MNA from NA-152 Syed Javed Ali Shah; PML-N MNA from NA-172 Hafiz Abdul Kareem, PML-N MNA from NA-179 Makhdoomzada Basit Bokhari, PPP MNA from NA-212 Asghar Ali Shah, PPP MNA from NA-218 Makhdoom Muhammad Ameen Fahim, PPP MNA from NA-229 Mr Faqir Sher Muhammad Bilaiani, PPP MNA from NA-236 Roshan Din Junejo, PPP MNA from NA-248 Shahjahan Baloch, MQM MNA from NA-254 Mr. Muhammad Ali Rashid, MNA of Pakhtunkhawa Milli Awami Party (PMAL) from NA-259 Mehmood Khan Achakzai, JUI MNA from NA-261 Moulvi Agha Muhammad; and NP MNA from NA-268 Sardar Kamal Khan Bangulzai.
On reserved seats of NA, the non-filers included Mussarat Ahmadzeb of PTI and Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani of PML-N on reserved seats for Non Muslims.There are 14 Senators who have not bothered to file their income tax returns. Out of total 103 sitting senators, 89 have filed their income tax returns, indicating that 14 have not filed their returns including former Interior Minister Rehman Malik.