• Three sectors paid Rs293bn, salaried Rs315bn.
• Salaried taxpayers paid Rs22bn more overall.
• Data released just before IMF review mission.

ISLAMABAD: The salaried class has once again emerged as the single largest income tax contributor, paying more than exporters, retailers and property buyers and sellers combined during the first seven months of the current fiscal year, The News reported, citing Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) data.

Three major sectors, including retailers who own three million outlets, exporters who earn in foreign exchange, and sellers and purchasers of properties, have cumulatively coughed up Rs293 billion into the national kitty in the July-Jan period of FY26, while the salaried class paid Rs315 billion alone in this period.

Just ahead of the upcoming IMF review mission, this data shows that the powerful and politically entrenched segments are paying less than the salaried class.

It is yet to be seen whether the newly established Tax Policy Office under the umbrella of the Finance Ministry at Q Block will be able to convince the IMF for slashing tax burden on the salaried class in the next budget for 2026-27.

It shows that the salaried class paid Rs22 billion more as a standalone than the three major sectors of the economy.

Official data of the FBR shows that the exporters paid out tax of Rs50 billion in the first seven months (July-Jan) period of the current fiscal year against Rs54 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year.

As an advance tax of 1%, exporters paid Rs51 billion in the first seven months so their total contribution stood at Rs101 billion in the first seven months of FY26 compared to Rs101 billion in the same period of the last financial year.

The retailers who own 3 million establishments across the country have paid out Rs15 billion as advance tax under section 236G on sales to distributors, dealers, and wholesalers in the first seven months of the current fiscal year against Rs13.5 billion in the same period of the last financial year.

Under 236H, the retailers have paid out Rs25 billion in the first seven months of FY26 against Rs19 billion in the same period of the last financial year.

The FBR has collected Rs105 billion on the sale and transfer of immovable property under 236C of Income Tax in the first seven months of the current fiscal year, compared to Rs65 billion in the same period of the last financial year.

In the budget 2025-26, the gross amount of transactions does not exceed Rs50 million, and there will be a rate of 4.5% for person exist in the Active Taxpayer List. Where the gross amount of the transaction exceeds Rs50 million but does not exceed Rs100 million, the tax rate for an ATL person will be 5%.

Where the gross amount of a property transaction exceeds Rs100 million, the tax rate for an ATL person is fixed at 5.5%.

The person not in ATL will have to pay a tax of 11.5% under 236C. A person who filed late returns will have to pay 7.5%, 8.5%, and 9.5% for transaction amounts of Rs50 million, Rs 100 million and exceeding Rs100 million.

The FBR has collected Rs47 billion on the purchase and transfer of immovable property in the first seven months of CFY26 compared to Rs66 billion collected in the same period of the last financial year.

On the purchase of property, the tax rates were reduced to 1.5% for person exist in ATL up to a transaction of Rs50 million, 2% for ATL persons where the transaction amount exceeds Rs50 million but does not exceed Rs100 million, and 2.5% where the transaction amount exceeds Rs100 million.

On the other hand, the salaried class belonging to both the public and private sectors have contributed Rs315 billion in the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to Rs284 billion in the same period of the last financial year.

The viewership battle between Bad Bunny’s official Super Bowl halftime show and Kid Rock’s conservative counterprogramming was never expected to be tight, and early numbers suggest it wasn’t. 

Initial digital data from the 2026 Super Bowl points to a clear win for Bad Bunny, even as millions of viewers sampled both broadcasts during halftime.

Bad Bunny headlined the NFL’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday, 8 February, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, during the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. 

While official Nielsen ratings have yet to be released, early online indicators show his performance drawing a far larger audience than Turning Point USA’s rival “All-American Halftime Show”.

Turning Point USA’s pre-recorded alternative, led by Kid Rock and featuring Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett, aired during the halftime window and wrapped up shortly after the second half began.

According to figures reported by the New York Times, the stream reached as many as 6.1 million concurrent viewers on YouTube. 

By contrast, Bad Bunny’s halftime show, which included guest appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, appears to be tracking among the most-watched in Super Bowl history.

By the afternoon of Monday, 9 February, the NFL’s official YouTube upload of the halftime performance had already surpassed 35 million views.

Turning Point USA’s stream had reached around 20 million total views since posting, with most of that audience arriving after the live broadcast had ended.

While the final television figures are still pending, last year’s Super Bowl halftime show, headlined by Kendrick Lamar, drew 133.5 million viewers, setting a record for the event. 

The early digital response suggests Bad Bunny’s show is following a similar trajectory.

Turning Point USA positioned its show as an answer to conservative criticism of the NFL’s choice of performer. 

“The All-American Halftime Show is an opportunity for all Americans to enjoy a halftime show with no agenda other than to celebrate faith, family, and freedom,” spokesperson Andrew Kolvet said ahead of the broadcast.

The debate spilled into the political arena during the game. 

President Donald Trump, who said he did not attend the Super Bowl because Levi’s Stadium was too far from Washington, D.C., criticised the halftime show on Truth Social while watching from his golf club in West Palm Beach. 

“The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!” Trump wrote, adding that “nobody understands a word this guy is saying.”

The timing of the post underlined a key point of the night, even some of Bad Bunny’s loudest critics were watching the official NFL broadcast, reinforcing the scale of the cultural moment and the challenge of drawing viewers away from it.

Kid Rock later shared his own reaction during an appearance on Fox News’ The Ingrahm Angle. 

“Like most people, I didn’t understand any of it,” he said of the Spanish-language performance. 

“I saw there’s a lot of dancers and a lot of big to-do stuff. And, you know, he said he wanted to have a dance party; it looked like he had one.”

He added, “Not my cup of tea, but I don’t fault that kid for doing the Super Bowl, getting in front of a global audience. I fault the NFL for putting him in that position and Turning Point for having to come out and have an alternative for people to watch. You know, it’s just — poor kid.”

The Super Bowl itself concluded with the Seattle Seahawks beating the New England Patriots 29–13, but when it came to halftime viewership, the early signs point clearly in one direction. 

Despite vocal opposition and a well-publicised alternative, Bad Bunny’s performance dominated attention, proving once again just how difficult the Super Bowl halftime stage is to compete with.

Ariana Grande has made it clear that if a film about her life ever happens, it won’t be anything like a traditional Hollywood biopic.

Speaking to Backstage in a light-hearted video interview shared on Instagram on 9 February, the Wicked star admitted she isn’t keen on the idea of a standard retelling of her life story. 

In fact, she joked that such a project should be titled Scrap This and Don’t Watch It.” 

Still, she couldn’t resist pitching one very specific, tongue-in-cheek concept.

“A tiny mouse with subtitles the whole time,” Ariana joked when asked who should play her. “I would like that, actually.” 

She went on to explain that the only version she’d consider would be “a tiny, beautiful short film with mice reenacting my whole life with little, tiny subtitles at the bottom,” adding that it’s the only approach she finds appealing.

While the 32-year-old singer and actress is clearly not rushing towards a biopic, she has been reflecting having officially said goodbye to Wicked and her role as Glinda.

She told Backstage that it feels right to place the experience “in a beautiful book on the shelf next to the other L. Frank Baum books that I collect,” saying it’s time to “turn the page and to thankfully and proudly, gratefully let go.”

The role marked a return to acting for Grande after a long break. 

Now, with Oz behind her, Grande says she’s still processing everything she’s achieved. 

Despite the effort and preparation she put in, the moment still feels surreal. “I know I did the work so that they could,” she said, “but I still feel as curious and inspired as…the first day I got here.”

For now, any on-screen version of Ariana Grande’s life appears safely confined to her imagination — preferably starring a mouse, complete with subtitles.