ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Asad Umar has claimed that the government has collected data of some 700,000 potential taxpayers.
Talking to a private news channel, he said agreements with foreign countries have been made to identify the people who keep their money outside the country or hide it to avoid tax.
The finance minister said some 152,000 people’s data has been retrieved and soon the government would have more information about the hidden money abroad.
Commenting on rising dollar against rupee, he held the previous government responsible for it.
While addressing at a ceremony, Federal Minister Asad Umar said that Saudi Arabia is about to make “the largest foreign investment in Pakistan’s history” which he will announce soon.
“The ball is in our court. We have to get cabinet approval next week, after which an announcement will be made,” he added.
Umar added that he keeps receiving messages from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman “through other people” asking him to expedite the process.
The statement comes after Islamabad and Riyadh were recently in talks over a bailout deal. Prime Minister Imran Khan attended an investment conference in Saudi, inviting foreign investors to put their money into projects in Pakistan at a time when various foreign countries and business delegations were pulling out of it after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
It was the premier’s second visit to Saudi since assuming office, and came as Pakistan was on the lookout for friendly nations to court in search of billions of dollar to shore up its deteriorating finances in the face of a balance of payments crisis and talks with the IMF over a possible bailout.
Umar also said that the government is set to bring an end to corruption in the country and making it a welfare state.
He stated that the people want accountability of the corrupt, adding that “to serve justice, we should send those who are corrupt to jail”.
“People ask me when the corrupt will be sent to prison,” Umar said, adding that “exports fell drastically from $25 billion to $21 billion due to fluctuation in the exchange rate during the previous government’s tenure”.
