ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has identified 200,906 employees of 54 top companies across the country who vanished from the tax net in the past one year — reflecting poor tax compliance.

In the tax year 2016, these employees — who constitute 79 per cent of the total employees’ strength — did not file their tax returns.

The employees of these big companies who filed their income tax returns stood at 53,579 — only 21pc of the total employees’ strength of 254,485.

In the year 2016, the total number of people who filed returns stood at 1.2 million. These are just 0.8pc of the population that FBR can trace to their homes or workplaces.

This discrepancy has emerged from the comparison of the data compiled and maintained by the Pakistan Revenue Automation (PRAL), a subsidiary of the FBR.

In India, the ratio of return filing to the population is 4.5pc, 58pc in France and 80pc in Canada.

The minimum penalty for not filing returns/statements/wealth statements starts from Rs5,000 and it can be as high as 25pc of the tax payable in a year. The non-filer would have to either declare his total income for assessment of tax in a year or the tax official would declare it ex parte.

An official of the FBR confirmed to Dawn that the FBR’s Facilitation and Taxpayers Education (Fate) Wing has already launched a campaign to rope in large public and private sector organisations and companies in its ongoing drive for filing of tax returns.

“We have chalked out a plan to approach these companies to extend facilities for filing of tax returns,” the official said.

The breakup of non-filing companies shows that 25 companies fall in the jurisdiction of tax departments in Karachi city, followed by 17 in Lahore. The number of companies in Islamabad stood at 5, followed by three in Rawalpindi, two in Multan and one in Faisalabad city.

In Karachi, the data shows that 6,478 (57pc) of the total employees of Habib Bank did not file their tax returns, followed by 9446 (90pc) of the Aga Khan Hospital and Medical College Foundation who skipped filing their tax returns in 2016.

In civil aviation authority, 7,240 (77pc) employees did not file their tax returns; followed by 6, 255 employees (72pc) in Meezan Bank, 5,909 (74pc) in Pakistan Steel Mills Corporation (Pvt) Ltd; 5,962 (76pc) in K-Electric Ltd; 4,605 (68pc) in Sui Southern Gas Company Ltd; 4,527 (84pc) in Karachi Port Trust; 3,905 (75pc) in Karachi Electric Provident Fund; 2,940 (65pc) in Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan) Ltd; 2,699 (66pc) in Faysal Bank Ltd; 3,433 (94pc) in the Indus Hospital; 1,970 or 60pc in Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission.

Similarly, 2,180 employees (68pc) did not file tax returns in 2016, followed by 2,137 (69pc) in NIB Bank Ltd; 1,025 (36pc) in Habib Metropolitan Bank; 2,764 (98pc) in B L Harbert International (Pvt) Ltd; 1,884 (70pc) in JS Bank Ltd; 2,439 (92pc) in Orient Energy Systems (Pvt) Ltd; 2,218 (85pc) in City Schools (Pvt) Ltd; 2,086 (84pc) in Pakistan Defence Officers Housing Authority; 1,885 (77pc) in the Aga Khan University; 1,780 (85pc) in Kashf Foundation; 1, 766 (84pc) in Philip Morris (Pakistan) Ltd; and 2,490 (53pc) in state Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan.

In the city of Lahore, 9,763 employees (98pc) of total strength in JDW Sugar Mills Ltd did not file their tax returns in tax year 2016; followed by 5,143 (63pc) in MCB Bank; 7,863 (99pc) in Crescent Bahuman Ltd; 6,737 (85pc) in Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd; 4,333 (84pc) in Educational Services (Pvt) Ltd; 4,113 (86pc) in Coca Cola Beverages Pakistan Ltd; 3,496 (74pc) in Nestle Pakistan Ltd; 4,249 (97pc) in Business and Communication Systems (Pvt) Ltd; 4,084 or 97pc in Virtual World (Pvt) Ltd; 4,051 (97pc) in Sefam (Pvt) Ltd; 3,786 (96pc) in Punjab Rural Support Programme; 2,655 (98pc) in Royal Airport Services (Pvt) Ltd.

As many as 1,995 employees (87pc) in Treet Corporation Ltd did not file their tax returns in tax year 2016, followed by 2,140 (98pc) in Cool Industries (Pvt) Ltd; 1,672 (78pc) in Technical education and vocational training authority; 1,767 (83pc) in Punjab Provincial Cooperative Bank Ltd; 1,917 (92pc) in Metro-Habib Cash & Carry Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd.

RAWALPINDI AND ISLAMABAD:

In the federal capital 7,685 employees (81pc) in Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd did not file their tax returns in 2016, followed by 5,150 (68pc) in Askari Bank Ltd; 3,283 (81pc) in Pakistan Television Corporation Ltd; 2497 (63pc) in Fauji Fertilizer Company Ltd; 3,357 (96pc) in Hillcrest Solutions (Pvt), Ltd; 1,842 (60pc) in National Engineering and Scientific Commission (HQ); 1,590 (9pc) in Pakistan Mobile Communication Ltd; and 1,511 (73pc) in National Engineering Services Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd.

In Multan, 6,086 employees (73pc) in Bank Al-Habib Ltd; followed by 2,980 (90pc) in Multan Electric Power Company Ltd. In Faisalabad, 3,048 employees (93pc) in Rafhan Maize Products Company Ltd who did not file their tax returns in tax year 2016.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2017