In a shocking yet revealing development, Pakistan’s salaried class is found to be the largest taxpayer segment in the first eleven months of the fiscal year 2024-25, contributing the most to the national treasury compared to any other sector.
Official statistics report that from July 2024 to May 2025, more than Rs499 billion in revenue was received as tax from salaried people alone. This amount surpasses contributions made by leading economic sectors, highlighting the economic burden being borne by ordinary income earners in the country.
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To put things in perspective, the retail industry contributed a mere Rs22.36 billion, whereas the retail industry remitted Rs33.30 billion in taxes over the same period. Exporters, the backbone of the economy, remitted Rs96.36 billion, and the red-hot real estate sector contributed Rs219.68 billion to the national exchequer.
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But it is the salaried class tax contribution that emerges, constituting the largest proportion of all groups. This is a trend indicating an increasing formal sector workforce as well as enhanced tax compliance in the wage-earning economy. While this can be regarded as a boon for tax collection endeavors, it also speaks of the overburdening of Pakistan’s middle and working classes with tax.
The figures once again call for more comprehensive tax reforms, particularly aimed at under-taxed sectors. As Pakistan confronts economic challenges, fair distribution of tax across all sectors continues to be important for sustainable development and social justice.
