ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has launched a new monitoring cell to track online spending to catch tax evaders across the country.
As per details, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has made a monitoring cell to crack down on the social media activities of influencers, celebrities, businesspersons and other professionals over their luxurious lifestyle, evading tax.
After the constitution of this cell, the authority stated that millions of potential tax evaders have been identified through an “Lifestyle Monitoring Cell” designed to keep an eye on social media activities.
The new cell will also track the spending patterns of high-net-worth individuals, including social media influencers and businesspeople, authorities said.
What is FBR’s Lifestyle Monitoring Cell?
The newly formed cell gathers data from social media platforms Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn and operates under the FBR’s Intelligence and Investigation Wing.
The authority identifies individuals who show substantial wealth online but evade the tax net.
Speaking to an international media outlet, FBR’s Inland Revenue Operations official Hamid Attique Sarwar stated that they have identified nearly four million tax evaders through the newly formed monitoring cell and other methods.
“Out of these 4 million, a ten percent sample around 0.4 million people has been shortlisted, and they are now the focus of our attention,” he added.
