Out of the 3.1 million retailers across Pakistan, only 270,000 (8.7 percent) filed tax returns for the previous fiscal year, contributing just Rs. 34 billion in taxes. In contrast, the salaried class paid Rs. 375 billion in taxes, a figure expected to increase to Rs. 450 billion in the current fiscal year due to higher tax rates. Exporters contributed Rs. 80-90 billion last year but have now been moved to the normal tax regime. Additionally, large landowners paid only Rs. 2 billion in Agriculture Income Tax (AIT).
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Among the registered retailers, 269,000 of the 416,000 shopkeepers filed returns and paid Rs. 33.98 billion in taxes. Regional contributions varied significantly: Karachi’s Corporate Tax Office (CTO) had 2,477 filers paying Rs. 1.15 billion, while Lahore’s CTO saw 1,807 filers contributing Rs. 507 million. Lahore’s Regional Tax Office (RTO) had the highest contributions with 41,454 filers paying Rs. 7.115 billion. In contrast, RTO Multan’s 21,727 filers paid Rs. 1.293 billion, and RTO Peshawar’s 13,547 filers contributed Rs. 1.687 billion in taxes
