FBR, tax collection & elite Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The passage of Finance Bill 2020 by the National Assembly on June 29, 2020, amid protest by the Opposition, claim by Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) of exceeding the revised target for fiscal year (FY) 2019-20 (Rs. 4126 billion gross and Rs. 4000 billion...Read More

Lack of initiatives & innovations Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The adoption of Finance Bill 2020 on June 29, 2020 and exceeding the target by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for fiscal year (FY) 2019-20 was an achievement of the coalition Government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) considering stern resistance from the opposition and...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world”—Albert Camus On 2 December 2012, Spanish athlete Iván Fernández Anaya was competing in a cross-country race in Burlada, Navarre, a municipality of Spain. He was running second, some distance behind race leader Abel Mutai—a bronze medalist in the 3,000-meter steeple chase...Read More

A majority of white Americans still cannot come to terms with what black people have known forever: Racism is systemic, systematic, and nowhere near gone. White America must step up not just for peace, but for justice— Systemic racism is the real ‘American carnage’—Jenipher Camino Gonzalez July 4 marks the National Day of Unites States...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq The Government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on June 26, 2020 to utter surprise and dismay of all increased the prices of all petroleum products substantially—it is usually done on the first day of every month after a summary is submitted by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) for increase or decease....Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “We now know that sex is complicated enough that we have to admit nature doesn’t draw the line for us between male and female, or between male and intersex and female and intersex; we actually draw that line on nature”—Alice Dreger They say that it is never too late to learn, a process...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq “The FBR contributes around 80% of the total revenues of the federal government; therefore, any miscalculation or misstargeting can severely cripple the budget, not just of the federal but the provincial governments as well”—Budget 2020-21: Highlights & Commentary, Pakistan Institute of Development Economic (PIDE)    According to FBR Year Book 2018-19, its...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “But there will be no justice, there will be no government of the people, by the people, and for the people, as long as the government and its officials permit bribery in any form”—John Jay Hooker Someone once remarked that in Pakistan it is much easier and faster to get illegal work done...Read More

Avoiding reforms & imprudent policies Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq An unusual decline in revenue collection and steep rise in current expenditures caused a deterioration in all major fiscal indicators during FY19. The overall budget deficit during the year stood at a historic high of 8.9 percent of GDP, which was also in excess...Read More

Over reporting, faulty fixation   Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq In document titled, Federal Budget 2020-21: Budget in Brief, revised version presented by Ministry of Finance (MoF) many days after announcement of federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2020-21 on June 2, 2020, the collection of Federal Board of Revenue is overstated and target...Read More