The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has reportedly sealed the head office of one of the top telecom operators i.e. Jazz in Pakistan. The office was sealed due to unpaid tax amounting to PKR 25 billion. That is a very large amount even for a telco.
The head office located in F-8 Islamabad was sealed today over non-payment. The order to seal the premises was given under the income tax ordinance 2001 with Section 48 of the Sales Tax Act.
Sealing the premises came as a shock to many as this has never happened before with a company of such scale. The deal on the non-payment was being negotiated so the sealing was a surprise for Jazz as well.
Jazz has also issued a statement in response to the office being sealed:
“Jazz is a law-abiding and responsible corporate citizen. Our contribution to Pakistan’s economy over the past 25 years is significant. We have received a notice from FBR this afternoon. Jazz has made tax submissions based on legal interpretations of the tax owed. We will review and take measures under our legal obligations and will collaborate with all *concerned* institutions for an early resolution of this issue.”
