PM Shehbaz and Party Continue to Hide Tax Details of Parliamentarians Yet Again

The federal government appears to have quietly abandoned the plan to publish the tax directory of parliamentarians, a move that raises fresh concerns about transparency, accountability, and political will, sources told ProPakistani.

While the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) published tax directories annually from 2014 to 2019, officials have confirmed that no such documents have been made public since January 2022. Under the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, tax directories for fiscal years 2020 onward remain unpublished.

“FBR can publish the directory within one to two days once we receive a formal directive from the federal government,” sources revealed.

Since 2014, the Federal Board of Revenue has published two directories annually: one containing information about the annual income tax paid by lawmakers and the other detailing all tax filers in Pakistan. This initiative was prompted by an alarming revelation at the time that many elected representatives either lacked a National Tax Number (NTN) or had failed to file tax returns. In response, the government directed the FBR to register NTNs for all lawmakers and warned non-filers that they would be excluded from the directory unless they complied.

April 15, 2014, marked a turning point when Pakistan joined a growing group of nations that publicly disclose tax data. This initiative aimed to improve compliance, build public trust, and hold elected officials accountable.

Globally, such transparency is not unusual. In Finland, November 1 is nicknamed “National Envy Day” because tax information is published nationwide. In Norway, tax returns have been public since 1863, originally posted on the walls of town halls. Sweden allows anyone to obtain another person’s income details with a simple phone call. These practices are rooted in cultural norms that value openness and discourage excessive wealth concealment.

Under Section 216 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, the FBR requires formal approval from the federal government to publish a full directory. In the absence of such authorization, even prepared directories remain confidential.

The tax directory initiative, once hailed as a milestone for accountability, now lies dormant. In a political climate increasingly marked by public distrust, withholding tax data—especially that of parliamentarians—risks further eroding confidence in the democratic process.