Islamabad, July 30 (Inditop.com) Only 2.5 million of 172 million Pakistanis pay taxes. Of them, 1.8 million are salaried and paid Rs.27.37 billion in taxes during the just ended fiscal 2008-09, the Senate was informed Thursday.
The figures were furnished by Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Online news agency reported.
Replying to questions, she said the revenue accrued from tax collection constituted only 9.6 percent of the GDP.
“Besides broadening the tax net to increase taxes, those who were registered tax payers but were not paying tax would have to be persuaded to pay tax,” she added.
Responding to a question, Khar said: “We have to extend our hands to international donor agencies to seek loans after every two years as tax revenue targets are not met.”
Pakistan’s parliament June 25 passed a Rs.2.9 trillion budget for fiscal 2009-10 that began July 1 focusing on sustainable development, revival of industry and providing relief to the vulnerable and the millions of refugees uprooted by the anti-Taliban offensive in the northwest.
Presenting the budget June 13, Khar said that while the revenue during the fiscal was estimated at Rs.2.174 trillion, expenditure was estimated to be Rs.2.897 trillion.
The deficit of Rs.722.5 billion – 4.9 percent of the GDP – would be met through external borrowings of Rs.264.9 billion and domestic borrowings of Rs.457.6 billion.
It was the first time in Pakistan’s 62-year history that a woman had presented the budget.
