Huzaima Bukhari “Betray a friend and you’ll often find you have ruined yourself”―Aesop, Generally speaking and barring some loners, human beings like to be surrounded with family and friends. There is a unique sense of security in the loving and caring environment of those who are close to one’s heart. A home hardly feels lived...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq In the light of what was discussed in the first part, Case for All-Pakistan Unified Tax Service: PTI & innovative tax reforms, Business Recorder, August 31, 2018, the draft roadmap for harmonisation of fragmented taxes and consolidation of national tax agency and establishing NTA for public debate and for...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq On March 12, 2020, as per Press release of Ministry of Finance, the National Tax Council [NTC] was established and its terms of reference (ToRs) approved. According to a Press report, “The harmonisation of GST is part of the World Bank’s budgetary support loan of US$750 to US$900 million”....Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “When virtue is lost, benevolence appears, when benevolence is lost right conduct appears, when right conduct is lost, expedience appears. Expediency is the mere shadow of right and truth; it is the beginning of disorder”―Lao Tzu There cannot be any qualms about good conduct and decent manners. As Swami Sivananda says: “If you...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari, Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf Shakoori Pakistan’s high-level commitment to work with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Asia Pacific Group (APG) to strengthen its AML-CFT Regime and to address its strategic and counter-terrorist financing deficiencies took another turn when in June 2021 plenary meeting, Pakistan was assigned with an additional six-point...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The dismal share of income tax in overall collection of taxes during the last many decades testifies to the lack of judicious balance between direct and indirect taxes, resulting in declining tax-to-GDP ratio, huge budgetary gap, unsustainable debt burden resulting into rising debt servicing, and above all pushing millions...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq After 74 years of independence, unending, fruitless debates about the raison d’être of Pakistan’s creation continue to exasperate, especially after handing over of power to Taliban by the United States and its allies and likely establishment of a theocratic state. The arguments to justify a state, purportedly created in the name of...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “Remember, he who butters also holds a knife”―Anonymous Human beings are basically narcissists with each posited on a varying degree of narcissism but it is an understood fact that all want to be praised and appreciated for what they are and at times, even for what they are not. While some may forcefully...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari, Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf Shakoori The global war on terror fought under the command of the United States of America (USA) in Afghanistan is expected to come to an end as America evacuated Afghanistan on August 31, 2021. One of the foremost reasons to start this war on Afghan soil was...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “My message to you all is of hope, courage and confidence. Let us mobilize all our resources in a systematic and organized way and tackle the grave issues that confront us with grim determination and discipline worthy of a great nation”―Muhammad Ali Jinnah A famous adage goes by “God helps those who help...Read More