FBR Cell Exposes Rs624M+ in Undeclared Assets, Tax Evasion

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)’s Lifestyle Monitoring Cell has uncovered over 20 cases of undeclared multimillion-rupee assets, luxury vehicles, and frequent international travel by individuals reporting minimal income in their tax returns, according to The News, citing official data.

Three prominent tax evasion cases have surfaced. In the first, a southern Punjab taxpayer was found to possess 19 luxury vehicles valued at Rs624 million but declared only a single Rs1 million car in 2020. For 2021–2023, they listed a Toyota Yaris worth Rs3.075 million, and in 2024, reported no vehicle ownership.

In another case, the Cell exposed Rs180.5 million in hidden assets owned by a member of a southern Punjab political family. The individual held luxury vehicles, including a Lexus LX 570 (Rs80 million), Toyota Fortuner Legender (Rs15 million), Suzuki Hayabusa superbike (Rs5.5 million), and BMW i7 electric sedan (Rs80 million). Yet, their tax filings disclosed only two motorcycles—BMW M1000 RR (Rs14.2 million) and BMW R1250GS (Rs9.28 million)—totaling Rs31.28 million.

The third case involves a travel vlogger with luxury international trips across 2020–2025 to destinations like Seychelles, UAE, Spain, Netherlands, Turkey, Maldives, France, and Switzerland, but an average annual income below Rs0.8 million. Their returns showed Rs490,800 in 2020 and Rs816,800 in 2024, starkly misaligned with their expenditures.

FBR officials confirmed that investigations revealed discrepancies between declared income/assets and observed spending, pointing to significant underreporting and potential tax evasion.

The Lifestyle Monitoring Cell has launched formal inquiries into all cases. “Investigations are ongoing, with legal action to follow,” an FBR official stated, noting confidentiality rules prevent disclosing taxpayer identities.

Established under the Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation (Inland Revenue), the Cell targets individuals flaunting lavish lifestyles on social media while paying minimal or no taxes. Intelligence reports have been dispatched to Regional Tax Offices for legal proceedings and recovery actions.