Dr. Ikramul Haq[*] There has been much talk of reducing or even eliminating the contact between the tax payers and the tax collectors to overcome the deep-rooted corruption rampant in the tax machinery. The worthy Finance Minister, on more than one occasions, promised to carry out necessary reforms/changes to ensure that the tax payers are...Read More

Tax policies for industrial investment Dr. Ikramul Haq[*] Pakistan needs rational tax policies, having both short-term and long-term goals, to achieve self-reliance, which can only be possible if rapid investment for industrialisation is ensured. The unabated and mounting fiscal deficit, which is mother of all ills, can only be reduced or eliminated through revenue mobilization,...Read More

BY DR. IKRAMUL HAQ   Dr. Ikramul Haq, a leading international tax counsel, is a well-known author specialising in international tax, press, intellectual property, corporate and constitutional law. Dr. Ikram is Chief Partner of Lahore Law Associates (fax: +92 42 7226953, e-mail: irm@brain.net.pk; website: http://www.paktax.com.pk). He is a member of the visiting faculty of the...Read More

Tax Policy Imperatives Dr Ikramul Haq[*] “Although successive governments have made attempts to narrow the revenue-expenditure gap by taking new fiscal measures in the federal budgets, little improvement has taken place in the overall fiscal deficit. Why is it so? Pakistan tax system is still characterized by a narrow and punctured tax base, over reliance...Read More

Tax Reforms: Needs & Challenges Dr. Ikramul Haq[1] There is a national consensus that existing tax policy needs to be reformulated to provide an equitable, pragmatic, investment-oriented and business-friendly tax system, integrating good tax administration with simplified tax laws that are easily to be understood and hassle-free from implementation perspectives. This article presents some important...Read More

Dr Ikramul Haq[*] It is a matter of great tragedy that our economic managers never thought of using tax policy as a tool of economic development, and their sole stress on revenue targets at the time of making annual budgets has resulted into economic chaos. The persistent failure of our financial managers and tax collectors...Read More

The growth performance of overall manufacturing in general and large-scale manufacturing to particular has been lackluster at best in the 1990’s. After growing at an average rate of 8.2 percent in the 1980’s. The growth of large-scale manufacturing slowed to an average of 4.7 percent in the first half and further to 2.5 percent in...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq[i] It states that if a given amount of revenue is needed to finance public services, then each taxpayer should contribute in line with his ability-to-pay taxes. Those who possess more economic power (income and wealth) should contribute more to public exchequer and vice versa. The duty to pay taxes is seen as...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq[i] It states that if a given amount of revenue is needed to finance public services, then each taxpayer should contribute in line with his ability-to-pay taxes. Those who possess more economic power (income and wealth) should contribute more to public exchequer and vice versa. The duty to pay taxes is seen as...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq[*] The worthy finance minister of Pakistan appears to be totally ignorant about the reliability of fiscal data prepared and fed to him by the Central Board of revenue (CBR). In a news conference in Islamabad on 27 April 2001, he claimed that the number of taxpayers in the country had increased to...Read More