Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address to the top officials of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on November 13, 2019 showed that his three-year-long tax reforms plan, approved on October 3, 2019, lacks proper homework, pragmatic research and solid planning. After giving and getting approval, he and his tax Czar...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq Pakistan is a unique country where the governments—military and civilian alike—have been frequently introducing amnesty schemes allowing whitening of untaxed/undeclared assets. Historically, both the Legislature and Executive have always shown keenness in appeasing tax evaders through frequent and generous amnesties and obnoxious laws like section 5 read with section...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq On October 3, 2019, Prime Minister Imran Khan approved an ambitious three-year tax reforms plan that includes setting up of a new national tax agency [Pakistan Revenue Authority (PRA)] by June 2020 and restructuring of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on war footing. The plan of establishing PRA...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq Prime Minister Imran Khan on October 3, 2019 approved an ambitious three-year plan to conduct nationwide surveys for tax assessment, evaluating wealth parked in real estate and implementing a new value added tax system and “setting up the Pakistan Revenue Authority (PRA) by June next year and restructuring the Federal Board of...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq According to a Press report, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Shabbar Zaidi, has shown flexibility over establishment of Pakistan Revenue Authority (PRA) after strong resistance from the personnel he is presently heading. He ensured them that the new body would not be formed without “taking input from all stakeholders”.  The important...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “When laws do not rule, there is no constitution”—Aristotle in The Politics. There is always a tendency to follow precedents. This means that once an example has been set, the subsequent response is to continue walking on the path set by the predecessors because that appears to be the most convenient way to...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq Fiscal consolidation should be as growth-friendly as possible. In general, tax base-broadening reforms are identified as growth-oriented reforms. To the extent that they reduce distortions to economic decisions on work, saving, investment and consumption, they should increase output and improve social welfare—Choosing a Broad Base–Low Rate Approach to Taxation,...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The imposition of 7.5% sales tax on restaurants through Finance Act 2019 by the National Assembly, energetically defended by the Chairman of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), is patently unconstitutional being in violation of Article 142 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan [“the Constitution”]. It is also...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in its ‘Annual Report 2018-19—The State of Pakistan’s Economy’ has strongly criticised the provinces for what it called “lack of institutional capacity” giving rise to “lower revenue collection that contributed less to tax-to-GDP ratio and fiscal consolidation efforts”. The report further noted that...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq According to data released by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) out of over 3.5 million traders in the country only 312,361 have been filing tax returns. The affluent traders who frequently perform Umrahs in one year alone are not less than one million. But, the FBR has failed to bring them into...Read More