The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is intensifying its crackdown on tax evasion, targeting high-profile social media influencers and fintech executives whose extravagant lifestyles, showcased online, starkly contrast with the modest incomes they declare on their tax returns.
The FBR’s Lifestyle Monitoring Cell has flagged a growing number of individuals who flaunt luxury vehicles, designer goods, and frequent international travel on social media, yet report negligible income to tax authorities.
Details of these potential tax evaders have been forwarded to FBR headquarters and regional tax offices for formal investigation.
Among the most striking cases is the owner of a Lahore-based fintech company, who, according to FBR data, owns 30 high-end vehicles valued at Rs. 2.74 billion ($9.8 million), including a Lamborghini Aventador and a Rolls Royce Phantom. None of these assets were declared in his tax filings.
The FBR found that the cost of these vehicles alone is nearly 1,000 times greater than the net assets reported by the taxpayer in 2019. The accused has deactivated his Instagram account, however, sources in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) maintain that the agency already possesses the necessary data as it intensifies its crackdown on individuals flaunting extravagant lifestyles on social media while declaring low taxable income.
The fintech executive repeatedly revised his tax returns, dramatically increasing reported income and assets in recent years. For example, he initially declared an income of just Rs. 523,493 in 2019, later revising it to Rs. 3.4 million. In 2024, he reported zero income, but subsequently revised his return to show Rs. 67.9 million. In 2025, his revised income jumped to Rs. 181.14 million.
The FBR also identified travel influencers and content creators who have visited dozens of countries in recent years while declaring annual incomes as low as Rs. 442,000 ($1,580).
One Lahore-based influencer traveled to more than 25 countries between 2021 and 2025, including the US, UK, and EU, but reported incomes ranging from Rs. 442,046 to Rs. 3.79 million per year.
Another Islamabad-based influencer, who owns luxury jewelry and designer handbags, declared an income of just Rs. 3.5 million in 2022 despite extensive international travel and high-end purchases.
The crackdown comes as Pakistan’s tax authorities face mounting pressure to meet an ambitious annual revenue target of Rs. 14.13 trillion. The FBR is already contending with a Rs. 274 billion shortfall in the first four months of the current fiscal year.
The FBR has urged regional tax offices to initiate proceedings against those suspected of concealing income and underreporting assets.
