No real end in sight to Thailand’s political conflict
Thailand has experienced yet another month of mass street protests. The latest round of demonstrations may fizzle out or escalate, but they are unlikely to resolve Thailand's deep divide between…
Tax evaders and tax officials
Tax evasion is not unique to Pakistan. Western countries including the United States and Western Europe are increasingly engaged in proactively identifying tax evaders and levying heavy penalties on not…
View point: Talking to the Taliban
Last Sunday's Taliban attack in Upper Dir in which the GOC Swat and Malakand division, a Lieutenant Colonel and a non-commissioned officer were killed in the wake of a formal…
Learn from the Hungarians!
In our article 'Allying with tax evaders', Business Recorder, January 25, 2103, we mentioned that "while our government and parliamentarians during the last many years have been busy in extending…
FBR: new chairman, old challenges
Of all the federal government institutions, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is, rightly or wrongly, considered as the most incompetent, inefficient and corrupt. Even if it is merely a perception…
Revenue targets for 2013-14
According to Press reports, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is not going to collect even Rs 2000 billion against the target of Rs 2381 billion fixed in budget 2012-13,…
Combating financing of terrorism – II
Appraisal of global and domestic initiatives: Since the tragic event of September 11, 2001, the United States and its allies have been engaged in what they call 'war on terror'…
Mandviwalla vs Sheikh
Serious charges are surfacing against the newly appointed Finance Minister Saleem H. Mandviwalla and lately the three-year reign of Dr Hafeez Sheikh marked by unsustainable reliance on domestic borrowing, poorly…
Towards TARP-II?
In the beginning it was tax evasion, and then became rampant corruption and eventually mafias took over, making the FBR irrelevant in most of the sectors-Ali Arshad Hakeem, Chairman FBR.…
Allying with tax evaders
"Moralists should address their sermons to the legislators, and not to individuals, because it is in the order of possible things that a virtuous and enlightened man may have the…
