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…
Local governments & taxes
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul HaqIn Pakistan, the poor are subjected to heavy and oppressive taxes, whereas the members of militro-judicial-civil complex, absentee landowners and businessmen-turned-politicians enjoy numerous tax breaks, unprecedented perks and perquisites, benefits, including allotment of expensive plots,…
Trump-Kim parleys
Huzaima Bukhari“Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed”—Mao ZedongPresident Donald Trump, in his 82-minute-long long State of the Union speech on February 6, expressed positive outcome of the second summit between him and North Korean leader,…
Pragmatic case selection model for audit
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul HaqSelection for and conduct of audit is not ex facie detrimental to the interest of taxpayer, however to exercise such powers; the discretion needs to be structured by framing rules and issuance of policies for…
Revisiting NFC Award
Dr. Ikramul HaqThe 9th National Finance Commission (NFC), in its maiden meeting, chaired by Finance Minister Asad Umar, held in Islamabad on February 6, 2019, discussed besides other issues recommendations for improving the distribution of resources among provinces and smooth…