All but 100 parliamentarians filed taxes for fiscal year 2012-2013: Tax Directory

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paid Rs2.65 million in income tax for the year ending June 30, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: All but a 100 parliamentarians had filed their tax returns for last year with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paying Rs2.65 million in taxes last year revealed the Parliamentarians’ Tax Directory.

While Nawaz had filed his hefty tax bull, he did not pay a penny in the Income Support Levy, imposed at a rate of rate of 0.5% on the value of all moveable assets by his own government. His entire cabinet appeared to be earning modest incomes and paid very little in taxes.

Opposition Leader in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah paid just Rs62,214 income tax in fiscal year 2012-13 that ended on June 30. He too did not pay any Income Support Levy (ISL), according to the Tax Directory. All earnings from the ISL was earmarked for beneficiaries of Benazir Income Support Fund.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, while noting the data to be provisional, said that due process was being undertaken for the remaining parliamentarians.

The directory added that all 1172 parliamentarians had obtained their National Tax Numbers (NTNs). Of these, as many as 1072 had filed income tax returns for the tax year ending June 30, 2013, leaving only 100 parliamentarians unaccounted for.