REVEALED: How much tax does PM Imran pay?

The premier has paid almost Rs4.7 million in taxes to federal authorities between 1981 and 2017

Fakhar Durrani

November 19, 2019

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan paid almost Rs4.7 million in taxes between 1981 and 2017, during which he was exempted from paying taxes for a few years, and also paid taxes of only a few hundred rupees in some other years, documents reveal.

The highest ever taxes paid by PM Imran were in 2010, when he paid Rs1, 883,033 in total to tax authorities. Similarly, the second highest income tax amount paid by the premier was Rs562,554 in the year 2011.

Babar Sattar, counsel for Justice Qazi Faez Isa in a court case, on Monday raised questions and highlighted that for some years his client’s (Justice Faez Isa) wife had paid even more tax than Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He mentioned the 2017 annual tax returns, when the premier had paid Rs103,763 in taxes to the government. The counsel argued before the Supreme Court that a person who paid a small amount of tax had no right to raise fingers at others.

Geo News has carried out a probe to determine the amount of tax paid by PM Imran since he was registered as a taxpayer in Pakistan. The probe also attempts to answer whether PM Imran has declared the properties owned by his former wives?

The same question was raised by Justice Qazi Faez Isa in a letter to the President of Pakistan after a reference was filed against the Supreme Court judge on the advice of Prime Minister Imran.

A careful examination of the last 25 years of tax record of PM Imran shows that, as against the principle set by the Prime Minister Office in a recent reference against the Supreme Court judge, the premier himself never declared the bank accounts or the foreign assets held by his children or former wives, even during the years corresponding to their married life.

The President of Pakistan, on the recommendations of the Prime Minister Office, sent a reference to the Supreme Judicial Counci lSJC) against Supreme Court judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa alleging that Justice Isa had not declared assets held by his wife and children in the United Kingdom and thus, should be sent home.

In his letter to the President, Justice Isa had maintained that his wife and children were not dependent on him, living in the UK, and he was not under any obligation to declare assets held by them.

Keeping in the view the complaint of the Prime Minister office, scrutiny of tax record of the premier shows that he never declared any foreign bank accounts or assets held by his wife Jemima Goldsmith during the years of their marriage.

Not only this, PM Imran also never declared any foreign bank accounts or foreign assets held by his two sons, who are now 23 and 20 years old. Imran did the same in cases of his second wife Reham Khan and third wife Bushra Maneka.

PM Imran had married Jemima Goldsmith on June 21, 1995. Both separated through a divorce on June 22, 2004. Under the principle defined by the Prime Minister Office, PM Imran was supposed to declare all the bank accounts and foreign properties held in the name of Jemima Goldsmith in the tax years 1994-95 (Financial Year ending June 30, 1995) to the year 2003-04 (Financial Year ending June 30, 2004).

However, a careful examination of his tax record of the said period reveals that PM Imran never declared any bank account or asset held by Jemima Goldsmith in the UK. Not only this, but PM Imran also did not disclose the assets held by his two sons, Sulaiman (born 1996) and Kasim (born 1999) in his tax returns.

PM Imran Khan had announced his marriage to Reham Khan on January 6, 2015 and divorced her on October 30, 2015. He was supposed to declare bank accounts and other assets in the name of Reham Khan, locally or abroad, in his annual Tax Returns for the years 2014-15 (Financial Year ending June 30, 2015) and 2015-16 (Financial Year ending June 30, 2016). However, the premier chose not to do that.

PM Imran announced his marriage with Bushra Maneka on February 18, 2018. Under the principle defined by his office, he was supposed to declare assets in the name of Bushra Maneka in the annual tax returns and Wealth Statement for the tax year 2017-18 (Financial Year ending June 30, 2018). However, he only mentioned that, as he was recently married (marriage took place some five months earlier), so he was not annexing her details.

Following are the declarations made in the Wealth Statement annexed with the annual tax returns PM Imran filed with Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) in the years corresponding to married life of Imran Khan with Jemima Goldsmith;

1993-94:

In the year 1993-94 PM Imran Khan had:

1- 7-commercial plot in West Wood Housing Society, Lahore (735,000) 2- House 2, Zaman Park, Lahore (I) 3- Apartment No-8-B-II, Ramna 4, Islamabad(1,175,000) 5 shares in Pace Pak Ltd 6- Shares in Lucky Cement 7- Suzuki Swift LHV 6350 (Gifted) 8- Land Cruiser 350,000

1995-96:

1- 4 commercial plots in West Wood Housing Society, Lahore (735,000) 2- House 2, Zaman Park, Lahore (I) 3- Apartment No-8-B-II, Ramna 4, Islamabad(1,175,000) 5 shares in Pace Pak Ltd (3,187,580) 6- Shares in Lucky Cement (3,150,000) 7- Suzuki Swift LHV 6350 (Gifted)

1996-97:

1- House No. 2, Zaman Park, Lahore (I), 2- Apartment No. 8-B-II, Ramna, Islamabad (1,175,000) 3- Shares Lucky Cement (3,150,000) 4- 66 Acres at Chak No. 104/15-L, Mian Channun, Khanewal 5- 1/3 share in 299 Kanal 17 Marla at Chak No: 162-E-B, Vehari 6- 8 Acre 10 Marla at Sultanky 7- Shares in Lucky Cement (3,150,000) 8- Toyota 1,250,000

1997-98:

1998-99:

1- House 2, Zaman Park, Lahore (I) 2- Apartment No-8-B-II, Ramna 4, Islamabad(1,175,000) 3- 39 Kanal 5 Marla, Village Talhar (Bani Gala), Islamabad (830,000) 4- 530 Kanal 15 Marla, at Chak No. 104/15-L, Mian Channun, Khanewal 5- 299 Kanal 17 Marla at Chak No: 162-E-B, Vehari (I) 6- 64 kanal 10 Marla Sultanky, Sialkot (I) 7- Toyota 1,250,000

1999-00:

2000-01:

1- Residential Flat No 165-DRAY Cot Evenue, London (Under Tax Amnesty Scheme 2001) (TAS 2000) 2- House 2, Zaman Park, Lahore (I) 3- Apartment No-8-B-II, Ramna 4, Islamabad(1,175,000) 4- 39 Kanal 5 Marla, Village Talhar (Bani Gala), Islamabad (830,000) 5- 530 Kanal 15 Marla, at Chak No. 104/15-L, Mian Channun, Khanewal 6- share in 299 Kanal 17 Marla at Chak No: 162-E-B, Vehari (I) 7- 64 kanal 10 Marla Sultanky, Sialkot (I) 8- Toyota 1,250,000

2001-02:

2002-03:

1- House 2, Zaman Park, Lahore (I) 2- Apartment No-8-B-II, Ramna 3, Islamabad(1,175,000) 3- 39 Kanal 5 Marla, Village Talhar (Bani Gala), Islamabad (830,000) 4- 530 Kanal 15 Marla, at Chak No. 104/15-L, Mian Channun, Khanewal 5- share in 299 Kanal 17 Marla at Chak No: 162-E-B, Vehari (I) 6- 64 kanal 10 Marla Sultanky, Sialkot (I) 7- Toyota 1,250,000 8- Property in the name of wife at Mehra Noor, Islamabad 46,000,000. In this year, while submitting his annual statement of assets and liabilities with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as an MNA from NA-71, Imran Khan wrote that his Banigala property worth Rs46,000,000 was in the name of his wife in the Column “Any Other Property”.

Following were the assets declared by the Prime Minister Imran Khan in the years corresponding to his marriage with Reham Khan;

2014-15:

1- 7 Kanal 8 Malra House No 2 Zaman Park Lahore (I), 2- 300 Kanals 5-Marlas House at Village Mohra, Near Islamabad (gifted), 3- 1585 SQ FT Clara Apartment No 8-B-11, Ramna-4, Diplomatic Enclave, G-5 Islamabad (1,175,000), 4- Share in 10 Marla House at Mianwali Inherited, 5- 80 Kanal Land at Mauza Rangiyan Phaliyan Ferozewala Sheikhupura (I), 6- 141 Kanal Land at Sheikh Dagar & Gadola Dagar Bhakkar (I), 7- 8 Acre Land at Chak No 30 ALAF Bhakkar (I), 8- 59 Kanal Land at Dagar Rataas Sarki Bhakkar (I), 9- 60 Kanal Land at Chak No 185 Bhakkar (I), 10- 170 Kanal Land at Mauza Dangiyan Mankera Bhakkar (I), 11- Share in 9 Marla Plot at Crescent Town Multan Road Lahore, 12- 530-Kanal 15-Marlas Agricultural Land at Chak No.104/15L Mian Channu, Khanewal including expenses (Inherited & Gifted) (50,000), 13- 243 Kanal 16 Marla Land at Mauza Dangiyan Mankera Bhakkar (4,200,000), 14- 6 KANAL 16 MARLA Land at Mohra Noor Islamabad (5,050,000) 15- Pound Account 0035-1002493091 Alfalah Blue Area Islamabad (44347 Pounds) 16- Dollar Account 0035-1002492797 Alfalah Blue Area Islamabad (439010 Dollars) 17- Euro Account 0035-1002493044 Alfalah Blue Area Islamabad (3362 Euro) 18- Dollar Account 0035-1002488477 Alfalah Blue Area Islamabad (1470 Dollars).

2015-16:

1- 7 Kanal 8 Malra House No 2 Zaman Park Lahore (I),

2- 300 Kanals 5-Marlas House at Village Mohra, Near Islamabad (gifted),

3- Construction of boundary wall in Banigal (Rs6.92 Million),

4- Construction of office in Banigala (Rs5.9 million),

5- Advance given for two bed flat Type E, Level 11, Tower C, Constitutional Avenue, Grand Hyatt Development Islamabad, (Obtaining of this flat was also mentioned in book of Reham Khan)

6- 1/3 Share in 10 Marla House at Mianwali Inherited,

7- 8 Acre Land at Chak No 30 ALAF Bhakkar (I),

8- 59 Kanal Land at Dagar Rataas Sarki Bhakkar (I),

9- 80 Kanal Land at Mauza Rangiyan Phaliyan Ferozewala Sheikhupura (I),

10- 141 Kanal Land at Sheikh Dagar & Gadola Dagar Bhakkar (I),

11- 1/3 share of 172 Canal land at Chak No 185 Bhakkar (I),

12- 170 Kanal Land at Mauza Dangiyan Mankera Bhakkar (I),

13- 533-Kanal 15-Marlas Agricultural Land at Chak No.104/15L Mian Channu, Khanewal including expenses (Inherited as well as Gifted)

14- 243 Kanal 16 Marla Land at Mauza Dangiyan Mankera Bhakkar (4,200,000),

15- 6 KANAL 16 MARLA Land at Mohra Noor Islamabad (5,050,000)

16- 1/3 Share in 9 Marla Plot at Crescent Town Multan Road Lahore (I),

17- Pound Account 0035-1002493091 Alfalah Blue Area Islamabad (47052 Pounds)