Dr. Ikramul Haq “If we realise that the FBR cannot be fixed, we will create a new FBR. This is because Pakistan’s survival is linked to it. It’s not about our liking or disliking: if our tax collection authority does not function properly, it could lead to a security risk. No nation that relies on...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “Death is less bitter punishment than death’s delay”—Ovid Exactly after seventeen months of the gruesome crime of killing 51 Muslim worshippers in two mosques of Christchurch, New Zealand, 29-year-old Brenton Tarrant will spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole. New Zealand abolished death penalty for murder in...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq Punjab is the most populous [110 million people] province of Pakistan with largest resources and budget size after the Federal Government and beneficiary of lion’s share from National Finance Commission (NFC) Award [for fiscal year 2019-20, it received Rs. 1.2 trillion]. For the last many years, the performance of...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq Pakistan, for the last many decades, has been grappling with the problem of raising adequate taxes to meet needs of both the people and the state. The perpetual and burgeoning fiscal deficit, coupled with deadly debt trap and mounting debt servicing, needs to be tackled on emergent basis. The Federal Board of...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The Pakistan telecom sector contributes steady inflow of heavy tax collections under major heads like Activation Tax, GST/FED, the PTA fee & charges and others. The PTA has been advocating to the government to reduce the tax burden on the sector, which it considers as an impediment for its...Read More

His message transcends all faiths Huzaima Bukhari “The sacrifice of Imam Hussain (AS) is not limited to one country, or nation, but it is the hereditary state of the brotherhood of all mankind”—Dr. Rajendra Prasad Generally, we as human beings tend to be very orthodox about our ideologies and most of the time there is...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “We cannot continue to blame the white men, as Africans, particularly the traditional rulers, are not blameless”—The Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria addressing tribal chiefs There are always two sides of a coin therefore any issue under consideration must be examined from all possible sides and of course the best is a balanced...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq Bureaucratic rules, procedures and structures should be modernised and training programs geared towards not just producing a class of capable civil servants, but restoring a spirit of public service—Reforming Pakistan’s Civil Service, Asia Report No. 185 of February 16, 2010 by International Crisis Group. Since independence, all efforts to reform civil services...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “Rosa Parks inspired me to find a way to get in the way, to get in trouble….good trouble, necessary trouble”—John Lewis The word ‘trouble’ and its various forms evoke negativity with all its manifestations. Not even for a moment one can imagine anything positive associated with ‘trouble’, ‘troubling’, ‘troublesome’ and ‘troubled.’ A troubled...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq Presently, all broad-based and buoyant sources of revenue are with the federal government and contribution of provinces in total tax revenues [Rs. 4748 billion] for the fiscal year 2019-20 [11.4% of GDP] was merely 8 percent and in overall national revenue base (tax and non-tax revenue) of Rs. 6272...Read More