ISLAMABAD: The final report of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) revealed that the state’s tax machinery had a very limited tax record of the Sharif family.
The available income tax returns and wealth statements, however, emerged as a leading source of evidence in probing the assets of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other members of his family.
According to the report, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had started filing income tax returns in 1983-84. However, the Federal Board of Revenue did not provide the record of his tax returns/wealth statements to JIT for the assessment years 1997-98, 2001-02, and from assessment years 2004-05 to 2007-08.
During the assessment years 2004-05 to 2007-08, the premier did not file wealth statements.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar did not file income tax returns for almost 10 years — from 1981-82 to 2001-02. According to the report, limited tax record of Mr. Dar was available with the FBR.
Mr Dar’s income tax returns are missing from 1981-82 till 1985-86. Wealth statements were not provided by FBR for assessment years 1994-95 till 2001-02 and tax year 2002-03 till 2007-08 despite repeated requests.
Hussain Nawaz, the prime minister’s son, started filing tax returns in 1991-92. He was a student at that time and owned assets in the form of shares of companies. He filed tax returns till 2003.
Hassan Nawaz, the prime minister’s other son, started filing income tax returns in 1995-96. Mian Nawaz Sharif was managing the assets owned by Hassan Nawaz till 1995-96 as he was a minor. Mr Sharif had been filing Hassan’s income tax returns since 1989-90 till 1995-96. Hassan Nawaz moved to the United Kingdom in 1994. After studies he started his business and is known to have set up 10 companies.
Maryam Safdar, daughter of the prime minister, started filing returns in 1991-92. The FBR did not provide a complete tax record—income tax return/wealth statement of Maryam Nawaz were not provided for assessment years 1991-92, 1992-93, 1995-96, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2004-05 and 2008-09. Wealth statements were not available for most of these assessment years.
According to the report, the income tax returns for year 1991-92, 2004-05 and 2008-09 were not filed by Maryam Nawaz.
Muhammad Safdar, Maryam’s husband, has filed his income tax returns only for 2013-14 and 2014-15. The wealth statement was filed during tax year 2014-15 only. Mr. Safdar has not filed income tax returns/return of wealth tax and wealth statement since 1990.
The tax returns of Asma Nawaz, Mr Sharif’s younger daughter, were filed by her father from 1995-96. However, she started filing her returns in 2001-02, but never filed a wealth statement.
Mrs. Kulsoom Nawaz had been filing returns since 1984-85. The late Mian Muhammad Sharif had been filing tax returns/wealth statements since 1969-70.
