ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is examining how people’s lifestyles on social media compare to their tax return declarations.
Last month, Reuters reported that FBR set up a new Lifestyle Monitoring Cell. The unit has 40 investigators. They watch Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and build files to see if someone’s fancy spending fits their declared income.
Its goal is to find people who show signs of wealth online but are either not registered for tax or declare income that doesn’t match their spending or assets. The team builds digital profiles of such people, including evidence, including screenshots and timestamps, to prepare reports that can be used for tax or money-laundering investigations.
Following up, on 20th October, TheNews reported that the FBR’s intelligence cell has identified over 20 suspected cases of tax evasion involving individuals who flaunt luxury cars, lavish vacations, and high-end lifestyles on social media while declaring minimal income and assets in their tax returns.
Three sample cases in the files:
Case 1: Southern Punjab figure with luxury cars and superbikes not declared
FBR says a person linked to a political family owns or uses several costly vehicles but did not list them in tax returns. The reported vehicles include a Lexus LX 570, a BMW i7, a Toyota Fortuner Legender, and a Suzuki Hayabusa superbike.
In 2023, he only declared two bikes, a BMW M1000 RR and a BMW R1250GS, totaling Rs 31.28 million. In 2024, he declared only the M1000 RR. FBR estimates the concealed vehicle assets in this case at about Rs 180.5 million.
Case 2: 19 vehicles worth about Rs 624 million, but almost nothing was declared
FBR reports another taxpayer who possessed and used 19 vehicles, including sports cars, luxury SUVs, pickup trucks, motorcycles, and an ATV, with a total value of nearly Rs 624 million.
The list includes, among others: Chevrolet Corvette C8, Range Rover, Toyota Land Cruiser 300/200/100 series, Toyota 4Runner, Ford F-150 Raptor, Toyota Hilux Revo (two units), Toyota Tundra, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Chevrolet Silverado, Mercedes-Benz sedan, Audi Q7, plus bikes like a Harley-Davidson Pan America, a Honda CD200 Roadmaster, and a Yamaha Raptor 700R ATV.
None of these vehicles appeared in the person’s wealth statement. In 2020, only one vehicle was declared worth Rs 1 million.
In 2021–2023, only a Toyota Yaris (Rs 3.075 million) was declared. In 2024, the return showed N/A for vehicle ownership. FBR has sent the file for legal action and recovery.
Case 3: Many trips, little income
FBR noted a travel vlogger who took frequent, luxury foreign trips from 2020 to 2025, including visits across the Middle East and Europe, but declared very small income and small assets in tax returns. The pattern suggested a tax evasion case.
How We Got There
The Lifestyle Monitoring Cell was established to generate revenue and bridge the disparity between actual wealth and reported income. A senior FBR official said, “It’s open-source, their Instagram accounts are a public declaration.” They added that tax cases can be started within hours.
According to Reuters, Pakistan has entered nearly two dozen IMF programs, yet fewer than 2% of citizens pay income tax.
To address this imbalance, the new FBR cell uses open-source intelligence, gathering screenshots, timestamps, and digital evidence from public platforms to build profiles for potential tax evasion or money-laundering probes.
What Happens Next
The FBR has shared its findings with regional tax offices for further investigation, recovery, and legal action where necessary.
Officials say the monitoring will continue with enhanced social media tracking and cross-matching of online content against declared financial data in tax returns.
Should You Be Aware?
Yes, especially if you showcase your lifestyle publicly and hide your assets from FBR. The Lifestyle Monitoring Cell relies on publicly available social media data, which means posts on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube showing luxury vehicles, foreign travel, designer items, or property can be used as evidence.
Even if such posts are meant for personal expression, they may draw attention if your declared income doesn’t match your apparent lifestyle.
Tax experts recommend maintaining accurate filings and financial transparency to avoid becoming a target of the monitoring system.
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