FBR files millions of rupees tax evasion case against fashion designer

ISLAMABAD: The FBR has filed alleged tax evasion of millions of rupees against the owner of renowned Sobia’s fashion designer into the court of special judge of Customs, Taxation and Anti-Smuggling. According to details of the filed reference, it was submitted before the honorable court that Shazia Nazir, d/o CH. Nazir Ahmed (CNIC No. 61101- 2041545-2), is a resident of Islamabad and she filed wealth statements for Tax Years 2011, 2012 and 2013 declaring that she possessed two bank accounts, one in Muslim Commercial Bank with account number 116001010011150 and second account in Dubai Islamic Bank with account number 00076585003. However, the inquiry conducted by the Directorate General of Intelligence & Investigation, Inland Revenues (IR) revealed that the accused person furnished allegedly false and inaccurate information regarding her bank accounts and subsequently concealed her true and actual income and thus deliberately caused huge loss to the government exchequer by willful evasion of due taxes. The undeclared bank accounts revealed that the accused had made huge business transactions all over the country which did not commensurate with the income declared by her in her tax returns for tax years 2011, 2012 and 2013. Total details showed that she possessed four more accounts in different banks and alleged concealed amount stood at Rs99,813,658. The accused person, Shazia Nazir d/o Ch. Nazir Ahmed, thus knowingly and willfully furnished false wealth statements by deliberately not declaring the aforementioned bank accounts and thus committed an offence under Section 192 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. Huge amounts are being credited in concealed/ undeclared bank accounts of the accused. Thus, the accused concealed her true income and furnished inaccurate particulars of her income. Thus, she committed another offence punishable under Section 192A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. On the basis of this information, the Section 192 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 states that “Any person who makes a statement in any verification in any return or other document furnished under the Ordinance, which is false and which the person knows or believes to be false, or does not believe to be true, the person shall commit an offence punishable on conviction with a fine up to hundred thousand rupees or imprisonment for a termnot exceeding three years, or both”. The Section 192A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 states that “where, in the course of any proceedings under this Ordinance, any person has either in the said proceedings or in any earlier proceedings concealed income or furnished inaccurate particulars of such income and revenue impact of such concealment or furnishing of inaccurate particulars of such income is five hundred thousand rupees or more shall commit an offence punishable on conviction with imprisonment up to two years or with fine or both.” The DG I&I, IR office concluded that the inquiry has established beyond doubt the involvement of the accused in verification of false documents, an offence punishable under Section 192 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 and concealing the true particulars of income an offence punishable under section 192A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. In the filed reference, it was prayed before the court that this complaint is submitted under Section 203(1) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 for trial by this court under section 203 read with section 192 and 192A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. This court is empowered to try offences punishable under different provisions of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001. The undersigned is competent under the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 read with SRO 115 (I) 2015 to file this complaint. The complainant may also be allowed to add / alter any ground during the course of hearing /process of prosecution proceedings against the accused.