- PAT chief’s request for a month’s time to submit wealth statement turned down by FBR
Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri has sought a month’s time to submit his wealth statement but the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is not inclined to give more time to the Canada-based cleric, a media report said on Wednesday.
According to the report, the FBR informed Qadri that he must respond within seven days or else he would facepenalty proceedings under Section 182 of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001.
Other members of Board of Directors (BoD) and office-bearers of Idara Minhajul Quran (IMQ) also requested for a one-month extension to respond to the FBR notices but their applications were also turned down.
According to the report, the FBR has prepared a case against the PAT chief and other members and affiliates of the IMQ for evading taxes worth Rs 770 million. It has also issued notices for the second time to Qadri and other members and affiliates of the organization on the charge of concealing assets. The report said that their wealth statements do not show all the assets, transactions and accounts which have been recently traced.
The FBR has directed Qadri and his aides to submit their wealth statements and details of their assets and liabilities between June 2009 and June 2013. FBR also asked for details of the assets and liabilities of their spouses, children and other dependents. Furthermore, the FBR notices reveal that any assets that have been transferred and total expenditure also need to be submitted.
The deadline for submission was July 15 but Qadri and the others did not appear before the competent authority.
The report said that now the FBR had decided to take the matter in their own hands and impose taxes along with penalties.
According to the report, Minhajul Quran Director Foreign Affairs Muhammad Mustafa said that the FBR had issued five separate notices to each person demanding wealth statements despite the fact that Qadri and Minhajul Quran had provided wealth statements until June 30. He claimed that the FBR notices were part of the political victimization campaign of the government.