Destroying tax appellate system
The Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar, in the Finance Bill 2014, ignored the demand that tax appellate system should be made independent, free from the administrative controls as directed by the…
Provincial finances
Most analysts still focus on the federal budget not realising that there has been a significant shift in the allocation of fiscal resources towards the provinces. This is what should…
Taxing language
For the record: Tahirul Qadri came on TV on Tuesday night and angrily declared that the cases the government is preparing against him are all lies and fabrications. The anchor…
The politics of our economics
Ishaq Dar Federal Finance Minister stated that the budget must reflect the government's vision. Who actually determines Pakistan's economic policies? Is it the individual with the real power (and real…
New York’s pension ‘smoothing’ may short-change retirement
New Yorkers who rely on the state pension fund for their retirement may be short-changed about $735 million over the next 10 years as a result of Governor Andrew Cuomo's…
Economy on path to recovery
It is a happy sign that most of the economic indicators are moving in the right direction. It is not only the Foreign Direct Investment that is on path to…
Vision: the missing attribute
In recent years, budget making has been reduced to a ritual; it's glossy but unachievable promises are meant only to incite loud applause from the parliament's treasury benches, and thereafter…
Public fraud
At a cheque distribution ceremony in Rawalpindi last month, the National Accountability Bureau gave Rs140 million to the victims of five scams. The recipients included 63 victims who had been…
Of the taxpayers’ list
On April 15, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) uploaded on its website a gigantic list of taxpayers. According to the preface of that list (written by the Finance Minister) "this…
Dar’s road show: Good, bad or a bit of both?
Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar's road show to gauge market reaction to the issuance of Eurobonds has been very successful, he loudly proclaimed on his return to the country after…
