Offshore or onshore!
Dr. Ikramul Haq In the wake of Panama Papers: Politicians, Criminal & Rogue Industry That Hide Their Cash, heated debatesat homes and abroad are going on and will continue for many days, if not months. In Pakistan people are disillusioned,…
Height of ignorance & naivety!
Dr. Ikramul Haq The myth that technocrats can run government affairs better than bureaucrats is busted at least in Pakistan in recent months by Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs. Firstly…
FBR’s performance—first half of FY 2020
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The low degree of accountability of expenditures has made the revenue collection system more vulnerable to frequent restructuring. Placing responsibility to bridge the widening gap between revenue and expenditure on the shoulders of FBR…
Unconstitutional taxation by provinces
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The imposition of any kind of legislation that include levy of any tax or duty, cess etc having extraterritorial impact and involving entities operating on trans-provincial levels by any provincial assembly is patently against…
Stare rationibus decidendis
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq INTRODUCTION In view of the hierarchical character of the judicial system in Pakistan, it is of paramount importance that the law declared by courts should be certain, clear and consistent. Inconsistencies create distrust in…
2019: Wither PTI’s tax reforms?
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The Government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) contrary to its election promises after coming into power avoided fundamental structural tax reforms that could have yielded required revenue to make Pakistan self-reliant. It only resorted to…
Making 2020 year of prosperity
Dr. Ikramul Haq The pathetic performance of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in achieving even downward revised budgets for the last many years has adversely affected the fiscal scene—on the one hand federal government is in deep debt trap, fiscal…
Remembering Benazir Bhutto
Victim of ‘New Great Game’ December 27, 2019 marks the 12th death anniversary of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, the great visionary leader, who resisted with great courage the agenda of neo-colonial forces aimed at pushing Pakistan to a theocratic State…
Federalisation versus centralisation
2020: Year of Road to Prosperity Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The Chairman of Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA), while addressing a conference on ‘Ease of doing business in Pakistan: a case for tax harmonisation’, organised by the Sustainable Development…