Need for new income tax law – I
When the then government of General Pervez Musharraf decided to promulgate a new income tax law in 2000, many opposed it strongly. The main objection was that his regime had…
Of taxpayers & non-filers!
Non-collection of tax where due, is as detestable as its collection, where it is not due- CIT Companies, Lahore v State Cement of Corporation (Pvt) Ltd, Lahore 2002 PTD 1603…
Whither taxpayers’ money
In Pakistan, taxpayers' money is not spent for the purpose it is collected. It is wasted and/or abused mercilessly. A big chunk of it goes for debt servicing and for…
Maligning taxpayers
Our politicians and their crony bureaucrats keep on maligning taxpayers while the so-called "informed" analysts and all-knowing (sic) TV anchors join the bandwagon with often-repeated popular jargon that only "1%…
Taxing undisclosed income and assets
At least 50 million mobile users in Pakistan pay income tax in advance but only 850,000 file returns. Their reluctance to file tax returns is primarily due to two reasons:…
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…
Tax on farm income
Although Pakistan has a combined federal and provincial tax-to-GDP ratio of less than 10pc, the income of one segment farmers seems to escape taxation. This causes anger among regular taxpayers,…
Taxing the taxed: Income Support Levy Act, 2013
In the current budget, the government has proposed to levy a wealth tax by proposing to enact a new law.1 The object of the tax is to provide financial assistance,…
Treatment of foreign corporation in US income tax law
In 1997, American tax law underwent reforms and changes and the US government adopted check-the-box-rules, in this system the classification of many entities became entirely elective for the taxpayers. This…
Suggestions to redress grievances of taxpayers
The Income Tax Ordinance 2001 has been very tough against the taxpayers in case of recovery of tax due from them. There are a number of provisions in the Ordinance…
