ISLAMABAD: One of the top transgenders in the country, Almas Boby, has declared over Rs100 million assets in the latest tax amnesty scheme.
Boby filed the tax amnesty declaration with Regional Tax Office (RTO), Rawalpindi, of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) under Voluntary Domestic Assets Declaration Scheme 2018, FBR officials said.
According to the Act of the Parliament, the FBR cannot ask people to disclose their sources of income before availing the scheme. So, Boby was not required to disclose the source of her earnings.
The law also ensures complete secrecy to those who avail the scheme, but an RTO official breached the law and posted Boby’s picture on his Facebook page.
Almas Boby declared approximately Rs110 million worth of assets and paid nearly Rs5.5 million in tax at the rate of 5%, according to an FBR official who assisted Boby in filing the declaration. She declared immovable assets in her amnesty return forms.
“Usually people do not expect transgender persons to pay taxes due to their poor socioeconomic conditions, but Boby’s efforts should be appreciated at the national level”, said the official. Interestingly, the scheme has primarily been designed to provide an opportunity to those who were feeling the heat of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) crusade against tax evasion.