Top Pakistani cricketers face probe for tax evasion

Pakistan’s Test and one-day captain Misbah-ul-Haq, along with some other leading cricketers like Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali and Taufeeq Umar and national Twenty20 captain Mohammed Hafeez, are being investigated by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for filing incomplete tax returns.

Pakistani authorities are investigating complaints of non-payment of taxes by the country’s top cricketers including national team captain Misbah-ul-Haq.

A spokesman of the FBR said on Friday that there were complaints of non-payment of full taxes on total income earned by the players.

“The investigations will be carried out to confirm whether the complaints of non payment of taxes is correct,” he said.

Pakistani Test players Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali and Taufeeq Umar and national Twenty20 captain Mohammed Hafeez will also be investigated.

The FBR had earlier invited these cricketers to lodge their tax returns. Complying with the FBR directives, the six players lodged their returns after obtaining their group income certificates from the Pakistan Cricket Board.

However the FBR has ascertained that the incomes and expenses were more than what was mentioned in the received financial documents.

According to details in the financial years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, Misbah had to pay a total tax of Rs 4.9 million, based on his declared income, however his total tax payment for the two years stood at Rs 2.96 million.

A source in the board said the Federal Department of Income Tax had also talked about having tribunal hearings on the issue of non-payments of taxes by Misbah and other players.

The source also said that Umar Akmal’s bank account had been frozen by the FBR citing non-payments of taxes worth Rs 7.8 million. During the same financial years, opening batsman Imran Farhat paid a total tax worth Rs 1.03 million, Hafeez paid Rs 2.7 million, Azhar Ali Rs 0.62 million and Umar paid Rs 1.195 million. The PCB has also been at loggerheads with the FBR over tax payment and exemption issues and the FBR lodged a case against them in court.