The Pakistani government is coming after non-resident Pakistani YouTubers who make big money from content watched inside Pakistan. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has proposed charging Rs195 per 1,000 views on videos viewed in the country.
This new rule, notified under special powers of Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, targets only non-resident Pakistanis living abroad (mainly in the US, Canada, or UK) who create political or economic content popular with Pakistani audiences.
The government has proposed new amendments to hit non-resident Pakistani YouTubers who were earning hefty amounts by selling their content in Pakistan, seeking to recover Rs195 per 1,000 views on videos.
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According to the proposal, if your video gets views from Pakistan, the FBR will treat it as earning at least Rs195 per 1,000 views. That’s roughly 16% to 66% tax rate depending on normal YouTube earnings. YouTubers with more than 50,000 users per year or 12,250 per quarter will fall under this special procedure.
They’ll have to declare this income in their tax return, and the FBR can challenge it if they think you’re under-reporting. Expenses can be deducted, but only up to 30% of total revenue.
Here’s the big question: How will the FBR actually collect this money? YouTube doesn’t share detailed viewer data easily, and enforcing tax on foreign-based creators without platform cooperation sounds tricky. Will this really bring in significant revenue, or is it more about sending a message?
The FBR has given only seven days for public objections. For now, this move has sparked debate — some see it as fair taxation on Pakistan-source income, while others worry it could discourage overseas Pakistanis from creating content that resonates back home.
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