An overseas Pakistani based in Qatar has accused the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) of illegally withdrawing Rs22.6 million from his bank account despite earning all his income abroad for the past 26 years.
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According to Arsalan Adam, the FBR directed his bank to immediately transfer the amount after issuing a tax recovery notice against him. He termed the move “daylight robbery” and alleged that the tax authority was harassing overseas Pakistanis instead of encouraging foreign investment in the country.
Speaking about the issue, Arsalan said he has been residing outside Pakistan for over two decades and that all of his income has been generated overseas. He maintained that the money invested in Pakistan came from legally earned foreign income and should not be included in Pakistan’s taxable income.
“I have worked with Bank of America, KPMG, Doha Bank, and institutions in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Despite this, the FBR has issued what I believe is an illegal tax notice and forcibly deducted money from my account,” he said.
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Arsalan further claimed that such actions by the tax authority were discouraging overseas Pakistanis from investing in Pakistan at a time when the country desperately needs foreign remittances and investor confidence.
He demanded an immediate inquiry into the matter and urged the government to protect overseas Pakistanis from what he described as “institutional harassment”.
The case has sparked debate on social media, with many overseas Pakistanis expressing concern over alleged aggressive tax recovery measures and questioning whether foreign-earned income is being unfairly targeted.
However, the FBR defended its action, stating that Arsalan Adam had been issued a formal tax default notice and was liable to pay Rs22.6 million in taxes under existing laws.
The tax authority has yet to publicly respond to Arsalan’s allegations regarding the legality of the account deduction and his overseas income status.
