KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has strongly condemned a recent Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) report, demanding its immediate withdrawal.

In a statement, the association said the report was “biased and misleading” and reflected an “unacceptable attitude” by FBR and the government towards the nation’s most vital healthcare sector.

“The report selectively identifies doctors as the only professional group failing to file income tax returns. The healthcare com­munity is not engaged merely in business; we are dedicated to providing essential, life-saving services to the people of Pakistan, often at very low cost.

“To single out doctors as the primary defaulters is not only misleading but also a grave insult to professionals working tirelessly on the front lines,” the statement reads.

The PMA emphasised that the vast majority of income tax non-compliance originated from other influential sectors, including “the rulers and their allies, who are systematically overlooked and never declared defaulters.” The medical community, the association alleged, was being made a soft target.

According to media reports, 130,243 doctors are registered with the FBR across Pakistan, yet only 56,287 filed tax returns this year.

The FBR data revealed that 31,870 doctors declared zero income from private practice in 2025, 307 practitioners reported losses despite full patient loads across major cities, and only 24,137 doctors acknowledged earning any business income whatsoever.

Even among those who did file income tax returns, declared tax contributions remain disproportionately low in relation to estimated earnings.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2025