FBR Probes Lavish Lifestyles, Undeclared Supercars & Jet-Setting

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)’s Lifestyle Monitoring Cell has unleashed a crackdown on high-rollers living lavishly beyond declared means, triggering tax evasion probes with details routed to FBR HQ and Regional Tax Offices (RTOs) for legal action, per The News.

Fueled by a Rs274 billion revenue hole in July–October against a Rs14.13 trillion annual target, the Cell exposed a Lahore fintech mogul flaunting 30 luxury vehicles worth Rs2.74 billion—including two Lamborghini Aventadors and a Rolls-Royce Phantom—yet undeclared in tax returns.

His filings: Rs523,493 in 2019 (revised to Rs3.4 million), scaling to Rs181 million by 2025—a pittance against visible opulence. Revised assets ballooned: gold from 10 tola to 50 tola, business capital from Rs750,000 to Rs11 million, luxury watches at Rs2.34 million. Cars alone dwarf 2019 net assets by 940x.

Two social media influencers—Lahore and Islamabad—were nailed for jet-setting lifestyles on meager declared income. One globetrotted 25 countries (2021–2025) while reporting Rs0.4–3.8 million annually. The other hit 13 destinations (UK, Switzerland, Singapore) with designer bags, jewelry, apparel, luxury cars, yet claimed Rs3.5–5.5 million yearly.

FBR flagged spending-income mismatches via social media, property, vehicle, and travel records. Officials: “Lifestyles scream undeclared wealth—imported cars, branded goods, global tours.” Cross-verification underway; evident concealment faces penalties, assessments, prosecution.

The Cell is expanding surveillance through social media analytics, registries, third-party finance data to hunt non-filers/under-reporters, aligning with FBR’s high-net-worth documentation blitz for direct tax surge.