Independence Day considerations
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq Today we are celebrating 73rd Independence Day with a hope that the new government, after two years in power, will now seriously work on bringing the much-needed reforms in all spheres of governance and fix…
Celebration of independence
Huzaima Bukhari“Independence? That’s middle class blasphemy. We are all dependent on one another, every soul of us on earth”—George Bernard ShawCongratulations to all Pakistanis celebrating the 73rd Day of Independence on 14th August 2020. May Allah bless the people of…
Need for new income tax law
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul HaqWhen the government of General Pervez Musharraf decided to promulgate a new income tax law in 2000, many opposed it strongly. The main objection was that his regime had no mandate to enact any such…
FBR’s collection & unpaid refunds
Dr. Ikramul HaqThe first month of the current fiscal year has brought good news for the coalition government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on the fiscal front. The Federal Board of Revenue claimed in a Press release of exceeding the target…
FBR’s hideous legacy of unpaid refunds
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq“The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they…
Politics—game or profession?
Huzaima Bukhari“Popularity should be no scale for the election of politicians. If it would depend on popularity, Donald Duck and The Muppets would take seats in senate.”—Orson WellesWhat an apt observation by John F Kennedy when he said: “Mothers all…
FBR’s quest for reforms & modernisation
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq“We need to lower tax rates for everybody, starting with the top corporate tax rate. We need to simplify the tax code. The ultimate answer, in my opinion, is the fair tax, which is a…
Decades of subjugation
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul HaqNear to complete 73 years of independence, our elites want to celebrate liberation from colonial rule after pushing the country into debt quagmire. This paradox depicts what Zulfikar Ali Bhutto highlighted in his book, Myth…
Betwixt truth and lies
Huzaima Bukhari“Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true”—Robert BraultWhile breathing her last on the hospital bed, an old…