Research on ‘Islamic’ taxation
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul HaqIt is an undeniable fact that the majority of Muslim world is faced with serious problems of income inequalities and injudicious distribution of wealth amongst the various segments of society. Even in the oil-rich countries,…
International Women’s Day
Remembering Mohtarma Fatima JinnahHuzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul HaqMarch 8 marks International Women’s Day. On this day while highlighting the issues faced by women all the world and in Pakistan, we must remember Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, who not only participated…
Pro-people agenda
Dr. Ikramul HaqAs two-thirds of the tax collected is in the form of indirect taxes and one-fourth of the entire amount comes from petroleum and petroleum products at various stages (which is passed on to consumers), the overall incidence is…
State & religion
Huzaima Bukhari“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste…
Of “true VIPs” & tax evaders
Dr. Ikramul HaqThe Prime Minister, while speaking at the awards ceremony held for top 150 taxpayers on February 20, 2019, said “The true VIPs of Pakistan are those people who pay the most tax and such citizens should be felicitated…
Abusing taxpayers’ money
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul HaqIn Pakistan, every effort to promote voluntary tax compliance is countered by an argument that taxpayers’ money is not spent for the purpose it is collected. Many say why we should pay taxes when even…
Rich-poor widening gap
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul HaqA number of studies confirm that rich-poor divide in Pakistan is increasing alarmingly. According to conservative estimates, 63% of poor in Pakistan are in the category of ‘transitory poor’. The rest of 32% and 5%…
IMF, loans & taxes
Dr. Ikramul HaqIn its first 6 months the Imran Khan government has been unable to resolve the question “to go or not to go to the IMF.” All manner of laughable statements have come out of the economic leaders in…
Tax reforms with borrowed funds!
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul HaqAccording to a report, the Government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) “is seeking $400 million or Rs. 56 billion loan from the World Bank (WB) for a risky venture of fixing the country’s ailing tax system…