Pakistanis support 5% tax on social media influencers, finds survey

A majority of Pakistanis support the government’s proposed 5% withholding tax on income earned by social media influencers, with many also calling for tax relief for small creators, according to a survey released by the Press Network of Pakistan (PNP).

The online survey, conducted after the announcement of the proposal in the Finance Bill 2026, received responses from 45 male and 55 female participants.

It found that respondents broadly backed the principle of taxing influencers, while emphasising the need for a balanced policy that does not discourage young entrepreneurs or emerging content creators.

The government proposed a 5% withholding tax on income earned by social media influencers and digital content creators. This measure is part of the Finance Bill 2026 and aims to bring revenue generated from social media platforms into a formal tax regime for revenue enhancement.

Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials noted that earnings from digital platforms are rapidly increasing and largely remain outside the tax net. The government estimates that income generated from social media activities in Pakistan ranges from Rs4 billion to Rs10 billion.

According to the PNP survey, respondents gave an average rating of 3.42 out of 5 in support of imposing the proposed 5% withholding tax on influencers’ income, indicating an overall positive stance toward the measure.

Support was even stronger for the broader principle of taxation, with respondents assigning an average score of 3.89 out of 5 to the statement that social media influencers should pay taxes like other businesses and professionals.

However, participants also expressed concern that the proposed tax could discourage young people from pursuing careers in digital content creation, which received an average score of 3.34 out of 5.

The survey highlighted strong public backing for exempting smaller creators from the proposed tax. Respondents awarded an average score of 3.88 out of 5 to the proposal that influencers earning below a certain income threshold should be exempted from the withholding tax.

Participants also supported complementary measures to encourage growth in Pakistan’s digital economy. The highest average score, 3.92 out of 5, was recorded for the recommendation that the government introduce incentives alongside taxation to support digital content creators.

On the potential impact across platforms, 53.8% of respondents believed YouTube creators would be the most affected by the proposed tax. Another 24.6% felt the tax would affect all social media platforms equally.

Meanwhile, 9.2% identified Instagram as the social media platform likely to be most impacted, followed by TikTok (6.2%), while Facebook and bloggers/websites each accounted for 3.1% of responses.

The PNP report stated that the survey demonstrates that Pakistanis generally support the idea that social media influencers should contribute to the national tax system, but the taxation should be fair and accompanied by supportive policies that encourage innovation and digital entrepreneurship.

 “As Pakistan’s digital economy continues to expand, balanced policymaking will be essential to ensure that taxation strengthens rather than hinders one of the country’s fastest-growing sectors,” it concluded.