How the ADR tax distorts the financial sector
The tax on Advance-to-Deposit Ratio (ADR) was introduced through the Finance Acts of 2021 and 2022 approved by Pakistan’s National Assembly and these provisions are being enforced by the Federal…
Sick sector
YOU’VE almost certainly heard of Multan’s Nishtar hospital; as south Punjab’s largest public sector hospital, it is visited by thousands of patients every year. Even if you’re not familiar with…
Aspiring for a thriving automotive sector
It was early morning, with the sweet sound of birds and the freshness of the air. After taking a bath, I opened the front door of the lounge and sat…
Pakistan’s power sector – a case study
The Chief Executive Officer of K-Electric (KE), Monnis Alvi, while speaking at the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) this week, expressed his support for the entry of other…
Why power-sector reforms fail
Pakistan’s power sector has long been a tale of reforms that promise much but deliver little. Despite decades of policy interventions aimed at boosting energy generation, reducing losses, and reforming…
Sectoral growth patterns in FY2023-24
The latest Pakistan Economic Survey for 2023-24, released in June, contains a comprehensive set of estimates on the multifarious features of the economy of Pakistan. This potentially makes it possible…
Social sector spending
The Federal Ministry of Finance has released the estimates of poverty-related expenditures for 2022-23. Thanks are due to the PRSP Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance for having produced these…
Power sector woes– AGP report says it all
A damming report by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) says it all insofar as the massive mess-up in the domestic power sector, the consequences of which are being borne…
Need for a country-wide, across-sectors ‘Pricing Policy’
Weak regulation of markets, or the policy of ‘market fundamentalism’ that market knows best, and left mostly on its own market failures will sort themselves, under the overall wave of…
Whither public service?
IN the past two decades that the country has been in the midst of various economic and service delivery crises, nearly all solutions proposed by economists, policy professionals, and even…
