ISLAMABAD: The top officials of federal government are reportedly reluctant to file their income tax returns despite strict instructions from Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
Sources said that a large number of civil servants, including secretaries, were not filing their tax returns even though they were earning taxable income.
According to available data, the Industry and Production Secretary (Incharge) Main Asad Hayaud Din, Petroleum Division Secretary Muhammad Jalal Sikandar Sultan, Power Division Secretary Yousaf Nassem Khokhar, Planning Commission Secretary Shoaib Ahmad Siddique, Economic Affairs Division Secretary (Incharge) Ghazanfar Abbas Jilani, and Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training Secretary Aamir Ashraf Khawaja did not file their income tax returns in fiscal 2017.
Moreover, Additional Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr Ijaz Munir, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Director Irfan Naeem Mangi, and Bashir Ahmed Memon had also not filed their income tax returns in this year.
The situation was even worse among grades 18 and 19 junior officers who were also not filing their income tax returns. According to sources, out of 52 junior officials of the Commerce Division, only 17 were regularly filing their income tax returns.
Earlier in December, the prime minister had ordered all secretaries of the respective ministries/divisions to issue directions to all officers working in different ministries/divisions to ensure that every person who was earning taxable income must file his/her income tax return.
