The tax authorities in Pakistan will scrutinise the assets and sources of income of the Pakistani cricketers accused of “fixing almost every match”, officials said.
“The players were getting away with this (huge assets). We will now see how much they have in assets and what their sources (of income) are,” said an official of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
The official said regional tax offices have been directed to submit to the FBR details of the assets and sources of income, including vehicles, plots, agri-farms, bungalows, national/international bank accounts and movable/non-movable assets of the Pakistan cricket team members, captains, coaches, managers, commentators, selectors and other office-holders for the last five years and also provide their national tax numbers (NTNs).
Test captain Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have been suspended by the International Cricket Council after reports in the British tabloid News of The World.
The same tabloid also released a video of Pakistan batsman Yasir Hameed on Sunday in which he claims that some players had built up property and assets that included more than one bungalow by fixing matches. The FBR official said the regional tax offices have also been asked to check whether the players have been filing their income-tax returns. “If they are not doing so (filing income-tax returns), they will face the law. Everybody with a certain income needs to do this. We will have to submit factual returns till September 30,” he added.
The FBR has also decided to conduct an audit of the previous five years’ tax matters of players and officials. More players are being asked to submit details of properties, flats, bank accounts, lockers and other possessions.
Officials said details have also been sought from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding the amounts paid to chairmen, office-holders, selectors, players, coaches, managers and journalists during the last five years.
Meanwhile, Israr Rauf, who is a member and director of tax in the FBR, confirmed that regional income-tax offices had been told to file reports on the assets of Pakistani cricketers and officials. He said the investigations were separate from the Scotland Yard inquiry in Britain into corruption allegations.
“It is not linked directly to the spot-fixing scandal, but yes, we have taken note of media reports about the players building palatial bungalows and acquiring farmland,” Mr Rauf said in an interview.
“Every person whose income is above Rs 500,000 ($5,800) has to file a wealth tax return and we compare that with our own data. If required, we hold an audit to verify assets,” he said.
Official sources said there were also chances of a revamp of the PCB in the light of the present humiliation. “The PCB chairman and the decision makers (in the PCB) might have to leave. The authorities will also decide about the careers of several players,” a senior official told this newspaper.
He added, “A decision has been taken in principle that no tainted player will be allowed to continue in the national team in any capacity.”
President Asif Ali Zardari, the patron of the PCB, is collecting information to take a final decision, the official said.