Business Desk 
Sep 25, 2025
Diamond jewellery sets and a drone light show at a wedding that cost nearly a million dollars have now become evidence for Pakistan's tax authorities. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has created a new "Lifestyle Monitoring Cell" to follow lavish spenders through their social media posts.
Officials noted that a team of 40 investigators had already begun combing through Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for influencers, celebrities, real estate agents, and business owners who flaunted assets that did not appear on their tax returns.
"It’s open-source; their Instagram accounts are a public statement," said a senior FBR official. He said they could now open new audits in a matter of hours. A tax evaluation takes place, and the information from the social media site does not reflect on the tax returns.
"With the lowest tax-to-GDP ratio in Asia and less than 2% of the country paying income tax, we are under increasing pressure to broaden the tax net."
According to Reuters, an internal document from the FBR states the unit was operationally launched this month. The unit's goal is to "systematically monitor, scour and analyse data from major social media platforms" in order to monitor persons.
The new cell will build digital profiles of suspects, assess the money behind their lifestyles, and prepare reports that could lead to tax or money laundering investigations.
