Karachi remains top tax-paying city in Pakistan: FBR

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) released data on tax collection from across Pakistan, with Karachi once again emerging as the leading contributor to national revenue.

The FBR’s report on geographic tax collections revealed that Karachi topped the list of highest tax-paying cities, followed by Lahore in second place and Islamabad in third.

Karachi retained its position as the top tax contributor in Pakistan, with the FBR collecting Rs2,522,905 in taxes from the city during the fiscal year 2023-24.

Of this, more than Rs1,360 billion was from income tax, while federal excise duties amounted to Rs136.3 million. In sales tax, LTO Karachi collected over Rs1,000 billion.

LTO Lahore collected Rs 1,402 billion in total tax revenue, while Islamabad’s LTO contributed Rs 1,164 billion during the same period.

Earlier, the FBR released new data indicating a significant drop in the number of women entrepreneurs filing income tax returns in Pakistan.

In the tax period of 2023, there were 1,290,832 women filers, but this number plummeted to just 100,247 in 2024.

According to the FBR, the count of “Individual Active Women Taxpayers” reporting income from business activities decreased from 138,841 in 2023 to 100,247 in 2024.

The category represents the largest group of women return filers included in the FBR’s Active Taxpayers List (ATL).

Additionally, there are 22,088 active taxpayers categorised as “Associations of Persons” (AOPs) with 50% or more women members.

Conversely, the number of companies with at least 50% women directors has seen growth, rising from 20,671 in 2022 to 41,629 in 2024.