In a bold move, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has announced a staggering 90% additional withholding tax on over half a million non-filers, a significant leap from the standard 15% rate.
The recent income tax general order has unveiled a list of more than 570,000 non-filers who will be subject to this hefty tax until they file their income tax returns. This decision is set to have a profound impact on prepaid and postpaid mobile users who have not filed their returns.
Under this new regime, a 90% withholding tax will be automatically deducted from the balance of non-filers, effectively meaning that if a user loads a balance of 100 rupees, a whopping 90 rupees will be funneled to the FBR.
The repercussions don’t stop there. If telecom companies block the SIMs of these non-filers and they still refrain from filing income tax returns, they will be hit with a 90% additional tax on any other mobile phone SIM they use.
Each time non-filers recharge their balance, they will be met with an additional tax, which will also apply to mobile and data loads. The data required to block the SIMs of non-filers has already been transferred to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and telecom companies.
Telecom operators are now racing against the clock, with only a few days left to block the SIMs of more than 570,000 non-filers. This move marks a significant step in the FBR’s ongoing efforts to broaden the tax net and ensure compliance.
 has announced a staggering 90% additional withholding tax on over half a million non-filers, a significant leap from the standard 15% rate.){kind=link}