- Three sectors paid 293 billion rupees and employees 315 billion rupees.
- Salaried taxpayers paid 22 billion rupees more overall.
- Data published just before the IMF review mission.
ISLAMABAD: The salaried class has once again become the largest contributor to income tax, paying more than exporters, retailers and buyers and sellers of real estate combined in the first seven months of the current fiscal year, News ” reported, citing data from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
Three major sectors, including retailers with three million outlets, foreign exchange earning exporters and property sellers and buyers, accumulated Rs 293 billion in the national kitty during the July-January period of FY26, while the salaried class alone paid Rs 315 billion during this period.
Just ahead of the next IMF assessment mission, this data shows that powerful and politically entrenched segments pay less than the salaried class.
It remains to be seen whether the newly established Fiscal Policy Office under the Ministry of Finance within the Q Block will be able to convince the IMF to significantly reduce the tax burden on the salaried class in the next budget for 2026-27.
It shows that the salaried class alone paid 22 billion rupees more than the three main sectors of the economy.
Official FBR data shows that exporters paid taxes of Rs 50 billion in the first seven months (July-January) of the current financial year, compared to Rs 54 billion in the same period of the last financial year.
In the form of advance tax of 1%, exporters paid Rs 51 billion in the first seven months, with the result that their total contribution stood at Rs 101 billion in the first seven months of FY26 compared to Rs 101 billion in the same period of last fiscal.
Retailers who own 3 million establishments across the country paid Rs 15 billion as advance tax under section 236G on sales to distributors, dealers and wholesalers in the first seven months of the current fiscal year, compared to Rs 13.5 billion during the same period of the previous fiscal year.
Under 236H, retailers shelled out Rs 25 billion in the first seven months of FY26 compared to Rs 19 billion in the same period of last fiscal.
The FBR collected Rs105 billion from sale and transfer of immovable property under 236C income tax regime in the first seven months of the current financial year, compared to Rs65 billion in the same period of the last financial year.
In the 2025-26 budget, the gross amount of transactions does not exceed Rs50 million, and there will be a rate of 4.5% for anyone on the list of active taxpayers. When the gross amount of the transaction exceeds Rs50 million but does not exceed Rs100 million, the tax rate for an ATL person will be 5%.
When the gross amount of a real estate transaction exceeds Rs100 million, the tax rate for an ATL person is set at 5.5%.
The person not in ATL will have to pay a tax of 11.5% under 236C. A person who has filed late returns will have to pay 7.5%, 8.5% and 9.5% for transaction amounts of Rs50 million, Rs100 million and above Rs100 million.
The FBR collected Rs47 billion from purchase and transfer of immovable property in the first seven months of CFY26, compared to Rs66 billion collected during the same period of the last fiscal year.
On the purchase of a property, tax rates have been reduced to 1.5% for persons residing in ATL up to a transaction of Rs50 million, to 2% for ATL persons where the transaction amount exceeds Rs50 million but does not exceed Rs100 million, and to 2.5% when the transaction amount exceeds Rs100 million.
On the other hand, the salaried class belonging to both the public and private sectors contributed Rs 315 billion during the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to Rs 284 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year.
