"We are working now to resolve this through all proper channels.”
Popular Pakistani YouTuber Nadir Ali, who runs the channel called ‘P for Pakao’ has been sent a Rs 13 million tax notice on suspicions of concealing his income.
The famous prankster of Pakistan shoots hilarious videos with his team as they pull pranks on unsuspecting people which, in turn, attracts a lot of attention.
His videos, which are no longer than a couple of minutes long, garner over a million hits. Nadir also has a loyal fan following of over three million subscribers to his channel.
In total, the combined number of views his channel has received is more than 820 million views. This makes Nadir Ali’s online channel one of the largest in the country.
It came to light that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been investigating Nadir for concealing his true income.
As of yet, it is not known when the investigation was launched. However, the case has been referred to the Chief Commissioner Inland Revenue Tax Office (RTO) in Karachi for “implementation and recovery of the tax evaded.”
According to the tax officials, various notices were sent to Nadir. They said:
“He has not replied to any of them. He now has the option to appeal the order before the Commissioner Appeals in the RTO office in Karachi.”
Nadir Ali’s case is the first of its kind according to FBR officials who have declared a series of actions against an individual for posting online material which has not been declared for tax purposes.
Nadir Ali’s journey is certainly inspiring. The online star rose from being a small-time comedian to an online sensation in just four years.
Beginning his journey in May 2016, Nadir Ali is now a YouTube sensation as well as having a presence on both Facebook and Instagram.
According to Gulf Today, on October 13 2017, Nadir Ali registered with the income tax department. He filed returns for the tax years 2016-2019.
For 2016 and 2017 Nadir declared nil income and for 2018 and 2019 he declared Rs 809,762 and Rs 14.44m respectively.
However, the FBR investigation has stated that his tax returns concealed his full income.
It has been revealed Nadir received Rs 2.186m during 2017, Rs 28.335m in 2018 and Rs 46.762 in 2019. These payments were checked and verified by the FBR from YouTube.
Allegedly, Nadir Ali also received over Rs 10 million of foreign exchange during the year on which exemption was declared without providing proof to the tax department.
Nadir also preserved a bank account which was not claimed in the wealth statement.
Tax officials further stated that the YouTuber was sent several notices during the investigation but did not respond.
Nadir Ali has also been given the option to appeal the order against him before the commission appeals to the RTO office in Karachi.
Speaking to a media outlet, Nadir spoke through his lawyer. He said:
“We received their notice and responded through in-person appearance and then applied for an extension in the time to file a response and our application was approved. We are working now to resolve this through all proper channels.”
Currently, the matter is ongoing. We wait to see what happens.
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