Budgets 2020 amid Covid-19 crisis—II
Need for paradigm shift Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq In the present circumstances, in the forthcoming federal budget, the need for a fair and simple tax system, as elaborate in Towards Flat, Low-rate, Broad and Predictable Taxes [PRIME Institute,…
Etymological shenanigans
Huzaima Bukhari “Nobody has monopoly over jahaalat—a highly educated person can be highly jaahil whereas a person who never attended any educational institution can be just the opposite”—Dr. Ikramul Haq Communication is an important matter for all living beings but…
Budgets 2020 amid Covid-19 pandemic
Dr. Ikramul Haq The Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, in a Press Release issued on May 18, 2020, noted that while preparing the next budget, “we should be more vigilant, practical, and analyze…
PIDE: Fixing tax policy
Dr. Ikramul Haq “Simplify taxes, reduce the cost of excessive documentation, open the economy for higher growth and employment, taxes will then increase….Not only is our tax policy not based on conceptual clarity, it is also being changed continuously to…
Taxes, not charity!
Huzaima Bukhari “We don’t do charity in Germany. We pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments’ responsibilities”—Henning When, a German stand-up comedian Imagine a middle-class household of six, comprising parents, three grown-up healthy boys and the youngest, a physically…
FBR’s dismal performance for 2018-19
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq An unusual decline in revenue collection and steep rise in current expenditures caused a deterioration in all major fiscal indicators during FY19. The overall budget deficit during the year stood at a historic high…
Welcome to WW III!
Huzaima Bukhari “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones”—Albert Einstein One must admit that compared to Colin Powell, Albert Einstein was more optimistic as…
COVID-19 pandemic & Rich-Poor Divide
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq Much before Covid-19 outbreak, the widening income and wealth disparities were highlighted by us in various columns with solutions to bridge the growing rich-poor divide, but no government paid any heed. During the rule…
Budget 2020: Paradigm shift needed
Dr. Ikramul Haq Budget 2020 is in the making amidst very difficult times when we are faced with economic meltdown due to Covid-19 outbreak and extreme hardships by weaker segments of society. The traditional approach adopted for decades in Pakistan…