Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The biggest challenge on tax mobilisation front faced by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is bridging monstrous tax gap through automation and introduction of tax intelligence system and not levying more taxes or enhancing the rates of the existing ones—Rationalising tax system, Business Recorder, July 19, 2020.  “If we...Read More

Dr Ikramul Haq A poor country [Pakistan] struggling to meet the basic needs of its people, under the pressure of the pandemic its creditors are now being forced into a financial arrangement that will erode any semblance of democratic control over the country’s economy—Ammar Ali Jan, The IMF is Using Debt Crisis to Hollow out...Read More

Out of box solutions or IMF agenda? Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The fourth Finance Minister Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tarin of the coalition government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) immediately after taking oath of his office is faced with the daunting challenge of preparing budget for fiscal year 2020-21 amidst very difficult times when the...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “It’s not at all hard to understand a person; it’s only hard to listen without bias”— Criss Jami, Killosophy A lot can be derived from the thinking of a 12 year old boy who transcribed it in his tweet after 49 years, reflective of the sensitivity with which he must have observed his elders...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr Ikramul Haq The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), in a Press release issued on May 1, 2021, claimed collection of net revenue of Rs. 3780 billion during the first ten months of the current fiscal year, exceeding “the target of Rs.3637 billion by more than Rs.143 billion”. The International Monetary Fund...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The coalition Government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is facing grim challenges on the fiscal front as Summary of Consolidated Federal and Provincial Fiscal Operations, 2020-21,  released by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) on February 3, 2021, for the first six months of the current fiscal year, shows that even...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq “A comprehensive strategy has been formulated to shift the gear and move to higher economic growth. I do not believe in increase in taxes to increase revenue collection but those outside the tax net would be tapped. The chances for any harassment by FBR officials shall be eliminated for which change in audit...Read More

Growth, broad base & low-rate taxes Huzaima Bukhari, Dr. Ikramul Haq & Syed Muhammad Ijaz “A comprehensive strategy has been formulated to shift the gear and move to higher economic growth. I do not believe in increase in taxes to increase revenue collection but those outside the tax net would be tapped. The chances for any...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq The coalition Government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is facing fiscal disaster as evident from Summary of Consolidated Federal and Provincial Fiscal Operations, 2020-21, released on May 6, 2021 by the Ministry of Finance, for the first nine months of the current fiscal year. It shows that 37% of defence spending is now...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind”—Jim Morrison On an oppressive August day in 1986 on shifting from Karachi to Lahore, when my husband took me to the office of the Viewpoint at 4A Lawrence Road to meet his former colleagues, the first question Mr. I.A. Rehman [Ibn Abdur Rehman, popularly known as...Read More