Transparency, taxation & reforms
Macroeconomic conditions have improved over the course of the program. Growth of 2 percent is expected in FY24 given continued recovery in the second half of the fiscal year. The…
Pakistan’s tax trap
Pakistan’s economy remains stuck in a low-growth equilibrium, sustained by short-term revenue grabs that masquerade as reform but steadily suffocate investment, innovation and exports. Under pressure from the IMF to…
The politics of easy taxation
Pakistan’s tax debate is usually framed as a technical puzzle: how to raise more revenue, faster, under pressure. That framing misses the real story. The country does not suffer from…
High taxes, low incomes
Every government complains that people avoid paying income taxes; hence, the number of income taxpayers in the country has always remained very small. This year, the government took pride in…
Pakistan’s support for wealth taxes
EACH successive federal government budget reaffirms the scale of Pakistan’s fiscal crisis. This year’s was no different. With debt-servicing and pension payment requirements consuming over half of the federal government’s…
Pakistan’s tax system: an overtaxing Leviathan or a wake-up call for reform?
With the federal and provincial budgets due next month, public and business sentiment is once again shadowed by fiscal apprehension. Recently, media reports suggested that the IMF projects Pakistan’s revenue…
Tax Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025: Ill-advised, confiscatory & undemocratic
The President of Pakistan issued Tax Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, published in The Gazette of Pakistan on May 2, 2025, made effective at once. Presidential Ordinance No. IV of 2025…
Improving national tax culture
The International Monetary Fund has agreed to lower Pakistan’s tax collection target for the ongoing fiscal year from Rs 12.97 trillion to Rs 12.35 trillion, a move that highlights the…
Striking delicate balance between transparency and dispute resolution
Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) has become an essential mechanism for resolving tax disputes efficiently and cost-effectively, avoiding the lengthy and expensive process of litigation. By providing a more flexible and…
Export-led growth and effective tax management: Leveraging Digital Product Passport
As the EU tightens its regulations, many countries view compliance as a mere obligation, but the implications of this can have benefits far beyond maintaining trade relations. By aligning with…
