Taxation to stagnation
Budget 2025-26, tabled in the National Assembly on June 10 and nearly drowned out by opposition slogans, has dominated talk shows and tax seminars ever since. Two professional gatherings –…
Tobacco taxation
EVERY year, close to 164,000 people die due to tobacco use in Pakistan. This means 450 deaths per day, more than 3,100 deaths per week and over 13,600 deaths per…
Pakistan’s taxation trap: overburdening formal economy feeds the informal
Tax compliance in Pakistan has been dismal for decades, and every increase in tax rates or the imposition of new levies - whether GST, income tax, or withholding tax (WHT)…
AI-led taxation
It was famously said by Benjamin Franklin, “In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes”. Perhaps Benjamin was unaware of the lagging efficient administration, shallow policy orchestrations, and…
Fixing taxation
AN essential component of any progressing economy is the taxation system. However, Pakistan’s tax regime is grappling with issues often faced by developing economies: low compliance, inefficiencies, and a narrow…
Unholy taxation
As Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government races to meet its promises to the IMF for revenue collection, Islamabad’s power corridors are buzzing with novel ideas to meet that goal. In…
Taxation in Pakistan: taxing the untaxed elites
Chris Matthews’s famous quote “Paying tax is not a punishment. It’s a responsibility”. Most developed countries with a simple and efficient tax system enjoyed higher GDP growth, investment and employment…
Equitable taxation: a precondition for meaningful economic reform
Negotiations with the IMF on the next programme are ongoing, with budget formation being an integral part of the discussions. The government is requesting a full allocation of $7.6 billion,…
Budget: rationalise taxation
On the eve of another ritual exercise of announcing federal budget, official date has yet to be finalised, expected on June 12, 2024, there is a need to re-evaluate tax…
Low taxation of property
The recent revelation of massive investment in property by Pakistanis in Dubai of over $11 billion has not only raised issues of the exit of capital from Pakistan but also…
