The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has uncovered more than 20 cases where individuals flaunting luxury lifestyles on social media, including expensive cars and frequent international travel, have declared little to no income or assets in their tax filings.
According to FBR’s Lifestyle Monitoring Cell, one case involves a digital content creator and travel vlogger whose lavish international trips from 2020 to 2025 were documented on Instagram. In 2020, the vlogger vacationed in Seychelles, a destination known for luxury holidays. No international travel was recorded in 2021, likely due to Covid-19 restrictions.
In 2022, the individual traveled to the UAE (Dubai), the Philippines, Spain, and the Netherlands. The following year, trips included Turkey, the UK, Maldives, and Georgia. In 2024, the vlogger toured Europe and the Middle East, visiting Saudi Arabia (multiple times, likely for Hajj/Umrah or events), Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, France, Belgium (attending the Tomorrowland music festival), and Switzerland. In 2025, the travel continued with visits to Sweden, Denmark, Greece, Saudi Arabia, France, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
Despite evidence of these trips, the vlogger’s tax returns for 2020 showed only Rs. 490,800 in income, Rs. 390,000 in expenses, and net assets of Rs. 1,090,800. For 2021, the declared income was Rs. 541,880, expenses Rs. 385,000, and net assets Rs. 1,232,680, with no travel due to pandemic restrictions.
In 2022, the declared income was Rs. 564,040, expenses Rs. 396,000, and net assets about Rs. 1,387,720. For 2023, the vlogger reported Rs. 784,600 in income, Rs. 480,000 in expenses, and net assets of Rs. 1,672,320. The 2024 return showed Rs. 816,800 in income, Rs. 504,000 in expenses, and net assets of Rs. 1,929,120, despite multiple foreign trips.
The FBR says this pattern indicates significant underreporting of income.
In another high-profile case, the Lifestyle Monitoring Cell detected Rs. 180.5 million in concealed assets linked to a member of a political family from South Punjab. Publicly available evidence showed the individual owned and used four luxury vehicles, none of which were declared in either their own or their father’s tax returns.
The assets included a Lexus LX 570 flagship luxury SUV (2019 model, estimated market value Rs. 80 million), a Toyota Fortuner Legender SUV (Rs. 15 million), a Suzuki Hayabusa (2021 high-performance superbike, Rs. 5.5 million), and a BMW i7 electric luxury sedan (Rs. 80 million).
Tax records show the individual registered as a taxpayer on January 12, 2023. In the 2023 tax return, only two motorcycles were declared: a BMW M 1000 RR (Rs. 14.2 million) and a BMW R 1250 GS (Rs. 9.8 million), totaling Rs. 31.28 million.
In 2024, only the BMW M 1000 RR was listed, with the BMW 1250 GS no longer included. FBR investigators say the taxpayer has only declared a fraction of their actual assets and failed to disclose the sources of funds used to purchase the hidden vehicles, indicating clear tax evasion.
A third case involves an estimated Rs. 624 million in concealed assets. The FBR found evidence that the taxpayer owned and used 19 vehicles, including sports cars, luxury SUVs, off-road trucks, motorcycles, and an ATV.
The assets included a Chevrolet Corvette C8 Stingray (2020, Rs. 80 million), a Yamaha Raptor 700R ATV (Rs. 6.5 million), a Harley-Davidson Pan America adventure touring motorcycle (Rs. 15 million), a Honda CD 200 Road Master (Rs. 500,000), a Chevrolet Silverado (Rs. 40 million), two Toyota Hilux Revo double-cabin trucks (Rs. 40 million total), a Toyota FJ Cruiser (Rs. 15 million), a Ford F-150 Raptor (Rs. 70 million), a Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series (Rs. 5 million), a Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series pickup (Rs. 4 million), a Toyota 4Runner SUV (Rs. 60 million), a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 Series (Rs. 90 million), a Range Rover (Rs. 80 million), an Audi Q7 (Rs. 30 million), a Toyota Tundra (Rs. 25 million), a Toyota Tacoma (Rs. 15 million), a Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series (Rs. 40 million), a Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series (Rs. 25 million), and a Mercedes-Benz sedan (Rs. 9 million).
The FBR says none of these luxury vehicles were declared in the taxpayer’s asset statements. The head of the Lifestyle Monitoring Cell said investigations are ongoing against suspected tax evaders, but identities cannot be disclosed under income tax laws.