The former Finance Minister and textile sector icon Gohar Ijaz has urged Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) not to impose more taxes on taxpayers and take steps to bring more people into tax net, reported 24NewsHD TV Channel.
In a press statement, Gohar Ijaz advised FBR not to burden the existing taxpayers. He suggested FBR should increase tax net by using data of bank account holders.
Gohar Ijaz demanded that tax relief should be provided to salaried class. He said the number of tax filers in Pakistan is 5.9 million.
He said Pakistan's numbers tell a compelling story: Only 5.9 million tax filers out of 71 million workforce (8.4%, tax filer to workforce ratio), while banks hold 177 million accounts, with 137 million unique account holders (60% of adult population), and PKR 32.7 trillion in deposits (as of May 2025)—all with complete KYC data with the Banks!
The former Finance Minister said FBR collected PKR 11.9 trillion in FY25 against a budgetary target of PKR 12.97 trillion—achieving 91.7% of target. FBR doesn’t need to tax existing filers more—it needs to expand the tax base. With withholding taxes at Rs. 1.59 trillion and voluntary payments at Rs. 1.12 trillion (1HFY25), the compliant are already contributing. 137 million unique bank account holders vs 5.9 million tax filers is a stark low number!
He said FBR must target non-filers—going after existing taxpayers will not work as they're already overburdened. Banks have comprehensive KYC data on account holders with substantial deposits. Non-filers' complete account details, transaction histories, and financial profiles are readily available.
The former Finance Minister suggested smart governance means using available data intelligently. The path to Pakistan's revenue targets lies not in over-burdening the 5.9 million compliant taxpayers, but in identifying and bringing the remaining 131 million bank account holders with significant financial footprints into the formal tax system.