In what comes as a big catch for tax agencies in Pakistan, the country’s top tax machinery has detected around $382 million in untaxed foreign income of around 75,000 of its national, evading taxes worth $63 million in the last two and half years. 

According to a report in Dawn newspaper, an investigation by the Offshore Commissi­one­rate of Large Taxpayers Off­ice, Islamabad, discovered the mon­ey received by Pakista­nis on account of provision of various freelancer consultancy services and sale of goods to various foreign clients.

A total of 75,615 Pakistanis received the money, through digital transactions, by a US-based M/s Payoneer Inc which maintains its accounts in various Pakistan banks and digital payments platforms. 

Among them, 45,012 people don’t at all exist on the country’s tax roll, reported Dawn; 30,603 are on tax roll but only 17,985 of them are regular return fillers and 12,685 have not filed their return. 

The discovery, officials claim, would help the country broaden its tax bases and improve its tax to GDP ratio as well. The investigation also found that 27 Pakistan banks were used by these people to withdraw their foreign source income.