Budget 2020 amid Covid-19 crisis—III
Fiscal challenges & 18th AmendmentHuzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul HaqThe failure to tap the actual tax potential by the federal and provincial governments is the real issue and not the Constitution (Eighteenth Amendment) Act, 2010 [hereinafter “18th Amendment”] vis-à-vis the…
The rot within!
Huzaima Bukhari“All you got to do is look around. This country’s getting worse and worse and more and more immoral, and we’re rotting from within”—Terry Bradshaw-American football quarterbackAccording to Benjamin Wittes, a Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings…
Budget 2020: innovative taxation
Dr. Ikramul HaqA good tax system is one that raises money with minimal distortion to the economy. In Pakistan, oppressive, unfair and complex tax system is the main cause of many distortions in economy. Budget 2020, expected on June 12,…
Covid-19 crisis—Budget 2020
Economic revival & IT sectorHuzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul HaqIn the aftermath of Covid-19 outbreak and lockdown, now gradually being lifted in Pakistan, the debate about untapped potential of Information Technology (IT) sector has assumed renewed interest. It has also…
Constitutionality of SROs
Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul HaqThe federal and provincial tax codes of Pakistan contain numerous exemptions and concessions while many are added, modified or withdrawn through executive orders, called statutory regulatory orders (SROs). These exemptions and concessions have not only…
Budget 2020
Simple & fair taxation for retailers Dr. Ikramul HaqThe outcome of a meeting between Prime Minister and the business community on January 20, 2020 as expected ended with just clichés like “facilitation”, “concessions” and “waivers” etc. Prime Minister reiterated: “taxation…
Budgets 2020 amid Covid-19 crisis—II
Need for paradigm shiftHuzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul HaqIn the present circumstances, in the forthcoming federal budget, the need for a fair and simple tax system, as elaborate in Towards Flat, Low-rate, Broad and Predictable Taxes [PRIME Institute, 2016] and…
Etymological shenanigans
Huzaima Bukhari“Nobody has monopoly over jahaalat—a highly educated person can be highly jaahil whereas a person who never attended any educational institution can be just the opposite”—Dr. Ikramul HaqCommunication is an important matter for all living beings but humans stand…
Budgets 2020 amid Covid-19 pandemic
Dr. Ikramul HaqThe Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, in a Press Release issued on May 18, 2020, noted that while preparing the next budget, “we should be more vigilant, practical, and analyze the…