Whales: Giants of the Ocean
Whales: Giants of the Ocean Whales are among the largest and most remarkable animals on Earth. These marine mammals live in oceans around the world,…
Whales: Giants of the Ocean
Whales: Giants of the Ocean Whales are among the largest and most remarkable animals on Earth. These marine mammals live in oceans around the world,…
When tax zealotry chokes export growth
Dr. Ikramul Haq Pakistan’s value-added garments sector has long been regarded as the country’s most promising engine for export growth. It combines…
Unlawful capital assets taxation
Huzaima Bukhari, Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf Shakoori A composite reading of the Constitution and the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 leads…
Lower Rates v Higher Extraction: Why Pakistan’s Tax Reform Debate Misses Vital Points
Reducing rates without addressing multiple taxation of income, withholdingisation, and fiscal federal distortions leaves intact a system where the State’s power to tax…
Super Tax, Minimum Tax & Refunds Fault Lines in CM Pak & Kassim Textile Cases
Dr. Ikramul Haq The controversy surrounding minimum tax under section 113 and super tax under section 4C of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001,…
Super Tax: Mounting Controversies And Mad Rush To Unconstitutional Extraction
Articles 23 and 24 of the Constitution protect against unlawful deprivation of property. Retention of excess tax and denial of its adjustment against…
Super tax controversy deepens
Huzaima Bukhari, Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf Shakoori The power to tax involves the power to destroy—McCulloch v. Maryland, 17 U.S.…
From Legl Fiction To Constitutional Collapse: The Fall Of Section 7E
Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling restores an important constitutional distinction between ‘income’ and ‘property’. Income arises from flow; property represents stock. The two have…
DIMMED BY DESIGN THE ARCHITECTURE OF ACCOUNTABILITY IN AN AGE OF AUTOCRACY
Authoritarianism, Judicial Independence, and the Struggle to Reclaim Democracy Justice (R) Syed Mansoor Ali Shah Distinguished Chair in Constitutionalism & Justice, LUMS Oscar…
Income Tax Gap—Other than Individuals Missing Business Tax Base
Dr. Ikramul Haq Yesterday’s article, Income Tax Gap Study, established that Pakistan’s fair individual income tax base is far larger than the number…
Income Tax Gap Study Taxing Everyone, Taxing No One!
Dr. Ikramul Haq Pakistan’s tax debate continues to revolve around a familiar claim: that most Pakistanis do not pay taxes. Policymakers, donors/lenders and tax administrators…
Illusion of ‘Smarter Taxation’
Dr. Ikramul Haq & Abdul Rauf Shakoori The IMF staff level agreement of April 30, 2026 highlights a fundamental issue for developing economies that…
FBR’s Performance FY 2024-25 (Part VI)
Trust Deficit, Tariff & Structural Reform Dr. Ikramul Haq The six-part analysis of FBR’s performance for fiscal year 2024-25 reveals that it is not…
FBR’s Performance FY 2024-25 (Part V)
FED: Evasion, Fiscal Federalism & Policy Failure Dr. Ikramul Haq Pakistan aptly fits in the concept of a “soft state”—famously articulated by the Nobel…
FBR’s Performance FY 2024-25 (Part IV)
Tariff distortions, under-invoicing & structural trade imbalances Dr. Ikramul Haq If income tax has become largely indirect taxation, through pass-on withholdingisation, and sales tax…
FBR’s Performance FY 2024-25 (Part II)
Income Tax or Expropriatory Taxation? Dr. Ikramul Haq The real test of any modern income tax system is not how much revenue it collects…
FBR’s Performance FY 2024-25 (Part I)
Two Yearbooks, Two Narratives Dr. Ikramul Haq “Pakistan recorded the second-largest equity losses and the highest rise in risk premiums since the start of…