ISLAMABAD: Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has urged Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to check the source of income of as many as 155 VIPs including parliamentarians, as per their income tax returns pertaining to tax years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
In a letter written to FBR Chairman Tariq Bajwa, the TIP has asked the Board to verify the source of income of these ‘very important persons,’ who imported bulletproof vehicles for their security.
On September 16, 2013, Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar told the National Assembly that various importers had imported 155 bulletproof vehicles during the last five years after payment of duty/taxes. Moreover, as many as 41 bulletproof vehicles were imported duty-free by the different individuals/persons, he added.
Ishaq Dar presented the information in a written reply in NA to a question of Sahibzada Muhammad Yaqoob, who sought details of the bulletproof vehicles imported during the last five years.
The TIP has asked the tax authorities to check the income tax returns of those VIPs, relating to the tax periods of 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, who reportedly imported bullet proof vehicles. The Transparency referred to the statement of Ishaq Dar in National Assembly, which was reported in the national newspapers on September 17, 2013.
The federal government had placed the details of the individuals who imported duty-free and duty-paid bulletproof vehicles during the last five years in the National Assembly on September 16, 2013.
