Huzaima & Ikram’s articles collect decades of published analysis on Pakistan’s tax and corporate law — income tax, sales tax, FBR reforms, budgets and constitutional questions — by Dr. Ikramul Haq, Huzaima Bukhari and Abdul Rauf Shakoori, including pieces first published in Pakistan’s leading newspapers.
PTI’s fiscal policy: challenges for 2021
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on assumption of power in August 2018 with the help of coalition partners, after general…
General’s ‘general law’ v ‘special law’
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, was promulgated by General Pervez Musharraf, through a Presidential Ordinance on September 13, 2001…
Lawmakers or lawbreakers?
Huzaima Bukhari “When the leaders choose to make themselves bidders at an auction of popularity, their talents, in the construction of the state, will be…
Learning taxation from clergy?
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) recently sought the guidance of clergy on the issue of taxation of Islamic financial…
My best friend!
Huzaima Bukhari “Walaqad khalaqnal insaana wa na’alamo maa tuwaswiso behi nafsohu wa nahno aqrabo ilaihi min hab’l an’wareed And indeed it is We Who created…
Homage to Rehan Hassan Naqvi: humanist par excellence
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq Sadly, on March 20, 2010 we lost Mr. Rehan Hassan Naqvi, a humanist par excellence, brilliant intellectual and extraordinary…
Executive defying Legislature
Dr. Ikramul Haq The powers granted to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) by the Legislature in 2018 under section 230F of the Income Tax Ordinance,…
Illusion or truth?
Huzaima Bukhari “Illusion is needed to disguise the emptiness within.”—Arthur Erickson (Canadian architect) According to Andrew Schneider, “Truth is a perception of depth in which…
“Services” & immovable property income taxation
Flagrant Constitutional violations Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The taxation of “services” mentioned in section 153(1)(b) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 [“the Ordinance”]…
Unconstitutional income taxation
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The coalition government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in its very first budget for finance year 2019-20, through Finance Act,…
Taxing the poor, favouring the rich
Dr. Ikramul Haq The shrinking share of direct taxes in overall collection is a serious cause of concern. It is now well-established that there is…
Professionally qualified bride
Huzaima Bukhari “It is not the hand that rocks the cradle that rules the world; it is the woman that holds the keys to the…
Taxation: Doctrine of mutuality
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq It is an established principle that what is not “income” under the income tax law cannot be taxed, and…
Guilty, until proven innocent?
Huzaima Bukhari “O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and…
FBR’s quest for in-house cleaning
Dr. Ikramul Haq According to a Press release, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) issued terms of references (ToRs) for Integrity Management Cell (IMC). According to the…
To act or not to act!
Huzaima Bukhari “One of the things about acting is it allows you to live other people’s lives without having to pay the price”—Robert De Niro…
Rich legislators of poor nation
Dr. Ikramul Haq In democracy, direct taxes play an important role for equitable wealth distribution. The Parliament enjoys exclusive power to levy taxes and citizens…
Pro-people laws, insensitive legislators
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq Raising the living standard and socio-economic uplift of industrial workers is the cornerstone of the Government policy, which is…