Not all parliamentarians who debate and vote on taxes file their own income tax returns, as required under the Income Tax Ordinance.
At least nine sitting or recently disqualified Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) are listed as “In-Active” in the Active Taxpayers List (ATL) on the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) website. Among them, two are not even registered with the FBR, suggesting they may have never filed a return.
FAFEN verified MNAs’ return-filing status using their National Identity Card (NIC) numbers provided on nomination papers for the 2024 General Elections.
The FBR classifies registered taxpayers as “Active” or “In-Active.” Filing a return within the due date earns an “Active” status, reflected in the ATL, which is updated weekly. Late filers must pay a surcharge to change their status. “In-Active” indicates no return has been filed for the previous tax year, while “No record exists” means the individual is not registered with the FBR.
Filing a return is mandatory under the Income Tax Ordinance 2001. Non-filers may face higher withholding taxes on banking, vehicles, and property, and could incur fines or even imprisonment of up to one year if they ignore FBR notices.
Not always. Salaried individuals have tax withheld at source by their employers, and the same applies to professional services. These MNAs may have already paid full or partial taxes despite not filing returns.
Out of the total National Assembly membership, 301 MNAs are “Active” in the latest ATL. Among the nine missing, four belong to Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), two each to Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam Pakistan (JUIP), and one to Muttahid Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQMP). The status of 26 MNAs, mostly reserved-seat women, is unknown due to missing NICs or nomination details.
FAFEN cross-checked the ATL downloaded in late September 2025 with the FBR Online Verification System on October 21, 2025.
Citizens can check their MNA’s filing status on the FBR website using NIC numbers from nomination papers or previous tax directories for second-term MNAs.
