By Dr. Ikramul Haq[*] Pakistan, caught in a deadly debt trap, is struggling hard to get rid of external loans of 35 billion US$. There is a little hope to come out of this crisis or to stop looking towards IMF, World Bank, Paris Club, London Club and ADB in a near future. There are...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq The fiscal management in the wake of 18th Constitutional Amendment [the “18th Amendment”] has been posing serious challenges for all. The problems diagnosed by experts are ambiguity over taxation rights between federation and its units, weak administrative structures, lack of political will and apparatuses to enforce devolved subjects/laws, issues...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq After taking oath on December 31, 2016 as 25th Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Mian Saqib Nisar, repeatedly stressed the need for speedy justice. However, near to his retirement (January 17, 2019), things have further deteriorated, instead of improving. According to data available on the website of Law and...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 also a member of the visiting faculty of the...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari “Kindness and a generous spirit go a long way. And a sense of humor. It’s like medicine-very healing”— Maximilian Paul Diarmuid Irons, an English-Irish actor and model. Born in 1985 Having written a lot of serious stuff I thought it was time to experiment with some humour and satire. After all, as aptly...Read More

Huzaima Bukhari & Dr. Ikramul Haq In a country where development outlay is cut drastically every year and an indomitable State Oligarchy enjoys unprecedented tax-free perquisites and perks at the expense of taxpayers, what can one expect other than fiscal chaos and double talk about loyalty to state. The self-styled defenders of “national cause” and...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). He is also a member of the visiting faculty of the Institute of...Read More

Dr. Ikramul Haq Pakistan—literally means ‘Land of the Pure’—is a unique country where the state patronises ‘corruption” (it includes amongst others tax evasion, money laundering, land grabbing, rent-seeking etc) for the rich and mighty. As for the weaker sections of society, even the higher judiciary shows a different yardstick—regularisation for the luxurious Grand Hayatt Tower...Read More

From:   Dr Ikramul Haq Sub: Non-Application of Section 50(1) regarding payments on account                           of Golden Handshake On behalf of our clients (List Annexed), we want to bring to your kind notice the following vis-à-vis non-application of deduction of tax at source on payments relating to Golden Handshake: The order of the Honourable Lahore High Court...Read More

Documentation/Broadening of tax base/raising number of filers/ The fundamental element of tax reforms is providing an efficient and competent administration, which is nowhere visible in Pakistan. Tax administrations, both at federal and provincial levels, lack the requisite level of digitization, professionalism and human skills. Any exercise relating to comprehensive tax reforms cannot be a time-bound...Read More