The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to audit professionals as part of its efforts to broaden the tax net, with high-earning doctors and beauty parlors in major cities now under scrutiny.
FBR sources told ProPakistani that doctors charging high consultation fees will be brought into the tax net. The process of issuing notices to prominent doctors in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad has already begun.
In the first phase, the incomes of 250 high-earning doctors in these three cities will be audited, 100 each in Karachi and Lahore, and 50 in Islamabad.
Sources further revealed that upscale beauty parlors in major cities will also be included in the tax net. The FBR is also targeting tax evasion in the paint sector, with private companies coming under the radar. Sellers of expensive cosmetics will likewise be brought into the tax system.
To facilitate audits across various sectors, the FBR has engaged the services of 600 private auditors, with plans to hire an additional 200 auditors in the coming days. In total, the FBR aims to employ 2,000 private auditors for this initiative.
These auditors will be required to keep taxpayers’ information confidential, according to FBR sources.