Muhammad Saleem

The Excise and Taxation Department has formed special teams to identify and take action against property tax evaders across Punjab in an effort to broaden the tax net and enhance national revenue.

A senior official of the department told Wealth Pakistan that a vigorous campaign had been launched to recover dues from defaulters and bring all unassessed properties into the tax network. The department, in coordination with the Urban Unit and the Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA), is collecting and analyzing data to trace tax evasion and ensure every taxable property is documented, he said.

“More than a dozen teams have been constituted to identify and pursue tax evaders,” the official said, adding that thousands of property units across Punjab have already been inspected. As a result, over 120,000 new property units have been added to the tax net this year.

Owing to these efforts, the department has contributed around Rs13 billion to the national exchequer through property tax recovery. The official said the recovery target for the current fiscal year had been set at approximately Rs33 billion.

In Lahore alone, 46,000 previously unassessed property units have been brought under the tax net. Additionally, officials have worked to register more than 250,000 new properties in the system, while strict action is being taken against both tax defaulters and officials involved in irregularities.

The official emphasized that the department is fully committed to transparency and accountability in the property tax collection process, ensuring all citizens contribute their due share to national development.

Credit: INP-WealthPk