Test and One-day captain Misbah-ul-Haq, along with some other leading players, will be investigated by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for filing incomplete tax returns. A spokesman for the FBR on Friday said 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. Test players Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali and Taufeeq Umar and national Twenty20 captain Mohammed Hafeez will 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 (PCB). 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. The PTI quoting a source in the board reported that 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-payment of taxes worth Rs 7.8 million.
During the same financial year, 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.