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…
FCC’s super tax detailed judgement: When “additional duty” becomes unconstitutional extraction
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The short order of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) of Pakistan of January 27, 2026 on…
Super Tax Detailed Judgement: Constitution’s Breaking Point
A tax is not defined by how it is written; it is defined by what it taxes. The constitutional test has always been…