Islamabad: Pakistan’s salaried class paid Rs91 billion in income tax during July-August FY2026-27, according to FBR data cited by The Express Tribune. The collection was Rs6.3 billion, or 7.5%, higher than the same period last year.
In comparison, income-tax collection from the real estate sector fell to Rs28 billion, from Rs39.4 billion a year earlier — a decline of roughly 29%. This means salaried taxpayers contributed about 225% more income tax than the real estate sector during the two-month period.
The gap was even larger against wholesalers and retailers, who collectively paid around Rs12 billion in withholding taxes. Salaried taxpayers therefore contributed about Rs79 billion more, or 658% above the wholesalers-and-retailers figure. Combined, real estate plus wholesale and retail contributed about Rs40 billion, still well below the salaried class’s Rs91 billion.
However, the fall in real-estate tax collection should not automatically be read as a collapse in property activity. In the FY2026-27 budget, the government halved key advance-tax rates on property transactions: the filer rate on property purchases was reduced from 2.5% to 1.25%, while the sale rate was reduced from 5.5% to 2.75%.
FBR collected around Rs1.722 trillion overall during July-August, slightly above its two-month target, although the authority missed its separate August target.
