Published October 1, 2026 Updated 30 minutes ago By Recorder Report ISLAMABAD: The number of income tax returns filed surged nearly 45 percent year-on-year to 5.77 million by September 30, with traders, professionals and other non-salaried individuals accounting for around four-fifths of the increase, official data revealed Wednesday. According to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) data, 5,767,384 income tax returns had been filed by September 30, compared with 3,980,692 returns on the same date last year, reflecting an increase of about 1.79 million filings in one year. The latest increase continues the sharp expansion in the tax filing base witnessed over the past three years. Returns filed by the end of September stood at 1.86 million in 2022, 1.92 million in 2023, 3.72 million in 2024, 3.98 million in 2025 and 5.77 million this year—almost three times the 2022 level. The composition of new filers has also changed significantly, with the non-salaried segment emerging as the main source of growth. Returns filed by non-salaried individuals—including traders, shopkeepers, professionals and self-employed persons—increased 60 percent to 3.81 million from 2.38 million last year. The addition of 1.43 million non-salaried filers represents around four-fifths of the total increase. Non-salaried returns stood at only 965,000 five years ago and accounted for roughly half of all filings. They now represent around two-thirds of total returns. Salaried returns increased 22 percent to 1.9 million, while returns filed by associations of persons, including partnerships, rose 33 percent to 53,756. The increase in filer numbers, however, does not necessarily translate into a corresponding rise in tax collection. Around 39 percent of returns filed this year were nil returns, broadly unchanged from last year. At the same time, returns declaring income above the taxable threshold increased 37 percent from 1.82 million to nearly 2.5 million. Among non-salaried individuals, such returns rose 47 percent, while the increase among salaried persons was 32 percent. Payment filers—those showing tax paid with their returns—increased 38 percent to 3.35…