{"id":102245,"date":"2025-05-14T16:08:39","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T11:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/?p=102245"},"modified":"2025-05-14T16:08:43","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T11:08:43","slug":"allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html","title":{"rendered":"Allow non-filer overseas Pakistanis to invest at filer rates: ABAD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Karachi:<\/strong> The Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD) has urged the government to allow overseas Pakistanis who are non-filers to invest in the country\u2019s real estate sector at the same tax rates as filers, in a bid to revive investment and stimulate economic activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an exclusive interview with Business Recorder<\/em>, ABAD Chairman Hassan Bakshi welcomed the government\u2019s decision<\/a> to abolish the Federal Excise Duty (FED) on property transactions. However, he emphasized that eliminating FED alone\u2014typically 3% to 7% of the transaction cost\u2014would not be sufficient to trigger meaningful activity in the real estate sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe total tax burden on property transactions is currently between 13% and 15% for filers, and a staggering 35% to 40% for non-filers,\u201d Bakshi said. \u201cWe need a comprehensive reduction in taxes to make property investment viable again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read: Tax salaried class less, bring property into tax net: WB<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He highlighted that overseas Pakistanis\u2014who remit billions of dollars to the country annually\u2014are increasingly diverting their investments to foreign markets such as Dubai due to a more transparent system, predictable policies, and a flat 4% transfer tax, regardless of filer status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bakshi proposed that non-filer overseas Pakistanis be allowed to invest in real estate at filer rates. After the property is purchased, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) could require submission of a National Tax Number (NTN). If the investor fails to provide it, they should be granted a grace period to enter the system or be automatically registered as filers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFacilitating overseas investors will have a positive impact on the economy. We have 10 million Pakistanis working abroad, many of whom are eager to invest back home but are discouraged by high taxes and regulatory hurdles,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ABAD chairman also called for a broader real estate reform package, including a reduction in advance taxes under Sections 236C and 236K of the Income Tax Ordinance, which currently contribute to a high cost of property transfers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bakshi further urged the government to reallocate part of the Rs461 billion budget of the Benazir Kafalat Programme to launch a subsidized housing loan scheme for first-time homebuyers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read: Special courts to protect overseas Pakistanis\u2019 property rights<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReal estate is interconnected with over 60 allied industries. If supported correctly, the sector could boost overall economic activity and add up to Rs2 trillion in tax revenue,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposal was echoed by leaders of other real estate associations, including the Pakistan Real Estate Investment Forum (PREIF), who stressed the need for a consistent, long-term investment policy to restore confidence among both local and overseas investors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Karachi: The Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD) has urged the government to allow overseas Pakistanis who are non-filers to invest in the country\u2019s real estate sector at the same tax rates as filers, in a bid to revive investment and stimulate economic activity. In an exclusive interview with Business Recorder, ABAD Chairman Hassan Bakshi welcomed the government\u2019s decision to abolish the Federal Excise Duty (FED) on property transactions. However, he emphasized that eliminating FED alone\u2014typically 3% to 7% of the transaction cost\u2014would not be sufficient to trigger meaningful activity in the real estate sector. \u201cThe total tax burden on property transactions is currently between 13% and 15% for filers, and a staggering 35% to 40% for non-filers,\u201d Bakshi said. \u201cWe need a comprehensive reduction in taxes to make property investment viable again.\u201d Read: Tax salaried class less, bring property into tax net: WB He highlighted that overseas Pakistanis\u2014who remit billions of dollars to the country annually\u2014are increasingly diverting their investments to foreign markets such as Dubai due to a more transparent system, predictable policies, and a flat 4% transfer tax, regardless of filer status. Bakshi proposed that non-filer overseas Pakistanis be allowed to invest in real estate…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":78380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15016],"tags":[5726,64685,3362,64208,947,64686,58486,1685,34475,4293,62221,62266,64687,4579,60564],"persona":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-102245","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-developments","8":"tag-abad","9":"tag-builders-and-developers","10":"tag-fbr","11":"tag-fed-abolition","12":"tag-housing-sector","13":"tag-investment-policy","14":"tag-non-filers-2","15":"tag-overseas-pakistanis","16":"tag-pakistan-economy","17":"tag-property-investment","18":"tag-real-estate-pakistan","19":"tag-real-estate-policy","20":"tag-real-estate-reform","21":"tag-remittances","22":"tag-tax-reform","23":"cat-15016-id"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n"Allow non-filer overseas to invest at filer rates" - Zameen News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The total tax burden on property transactions is currently between 13% and 15% for filers, and a staggering 35% to 40% for non-filers...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""Allow non-filer overseas to invest at filer rates" - Zameen News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The total tax burden on property transactions is currently between 13% and 15% for filers, and a staggering 35% to 40% for non-filers...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pakistan Real Estate News & Pakistan Property News & Latest Updates - Zameen News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZameenPK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-14T11:08:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-14T11:08:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/news-cdn.zameen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ABAD-News-Cover.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1170\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Samra Zulfiqar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ZameenProperty\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ZameenProperty\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Samra Zulfiqar\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\"Allow non-filer overseas to invest at filer rates\" - Zameen News","description":"The total tax burden on property transactions is currently between 13% and 15% for filers, and a staggering 35% to 40% for non-filers...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\"Allow non-filer overseas to invest at filer rates\" - Zameen News","og_description":"The total tax burden on property transactions is currently between 13% and 15% for filers, and a staggering 35% to 40% for non-filers...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html","og_site_name":"Pakistan Real Estate News & Pakistan Property News & Latest Updates - Zameen News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZameenPK","article_published_time":"2025-05-14T11:08:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-05-14T11:08:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1170,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/news-cdn.zameen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ABAD-News-Cover.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Samra Zulfiqar","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ZameenProperty","twitter_site":"@ZameenProperty","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Samra Zulfiqar","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html"},"author":{"name":"Samra Zulfiqar","@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/9810bc80e0f6830dcb87310b88ef6293"},"headline":"Allow non-filer overseas Pakistanis to invest at filer rates: ABAD","datePublished":"2025-05-14T11:08:39+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-14T11:08:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html"},"wordCount":435,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news-cdn.zameen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ABAD-News-Cover.jpg","keywords":["ABAD","Builders and Developers","FBR","FED Abolition","housing sector","Investment Policy","non filers","overseas pakistanis","Pakistan economy","property investment","Real Estate Pakistan","real estate policy","Real Estate Reform","remittances","tax reform"],"articleSection":["New Developments"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html","url":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html","name":"\"Allow non-filer overseas to invest at filer rates\" - Zameen News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/news-cdn.zameen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ABAD-News-Cover.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-14T11:08:39+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-14T11:08:43+00:00","description":"The total tax burden on property transactions is currently between 13% and 15% for filers, and a staggering 35% to 40% for non-filers...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/news-cdn.zameen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ABAD-News-Cover.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news-cdn.zameen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ABAD-News-Cover.jpg","width":1170,"height":400,"caption":"Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) met with Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqwi"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/allow-non-filer-overseas-to-invest-at-filer-rates.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Allow non-filer overseas Pakistanis to invest at filer rates: ABAD"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/","name":"Pakistan Real Estate News & Pakistan Property News & Latest Updates - Zameen News","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Zameen.com","alternateName":"Zameen","url":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/news-cdn.zameen.com\/wp-content\/upload\/2015\/09\/Zameen.com_-_Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news-cdn.zameen.com\/wp-content\/upload\/2015\/09\/Zameen.com_-_Logo.png","width":600,"height":300,"caption":"Zameen.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZameenPK","https:\/\/x.com\/ZameenProperty","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/zameenpk\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/9810bc80e0f6830dcb87310b88ef6293","name":"Samra Zulfiqar","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news-cdn.zameen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Samra-96x96.jpg","url":"https:\/\/news-cdn.zameen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Samra-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/news-cdn.zameen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Samra-96x96.jpg","caption":"Samra Zulfiqar"},"description":"Samra Zulfiqar, a real estate analyst at Zameen.com, is passionate about finding projects that offer buyers the best returns. Her keen insights spotlight the market\u2019s most promising opportunities.","url":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/author\/samra"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102245"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102247,"href":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102245\/revisions\/102247"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102245"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zameen.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=102245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}