Dr Ikramul Haq

In many early columns, the need for merging existing tax tribunals into National Tax Tribunal orNational Tax Court was discussed in detail for speedy disposal ofcases. We must also move towards e-Tribunals and e-Courts using modern technology. This initiative has become indispensable after outbreak of Covid-19 endemic. Establishment of E-Tax Court can be used as […]

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf(PTI) after came into power has failed to fulfil its election promise of rationalisation of the tax system even with $400 million loan from the World Bank, which has been reportedly downgraded “due to slower-than-expected progress”. Voluntary tax compliance cannot be improved unless there is substantial improvement in the efficiency, technical competence, integrity […]

The alarming burden of ever-increasing national debt during the tenure of coalition Government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf(PTI) has recently been highlighted by the Institute of Policy Reforms (IPR) in its brief report, “Pakistan’s debt and debt servicing is cause for concern” [hereinafter “the IRP Report”].In these columns, the issue of mounting debt and its repercussions has […]

On October 12, 2020, the Chairman of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), while testifying before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), revealed that more than “Rs.1.856 trillion revenue has been stuck for years due to litigation in various courts, resulting in difficult financial conditions for the country”. The fault, however, does not entirely lie with the […]

Our tax bureaucrats keep on maligning the citizens as tax dodgers, while the so-called “informed” analysts and all-knowing (sic) TV anchors join the bandwagon with often-repeated popular jargon that only”1% of the population pays income tax”. This fallacy has become Gospel’s truth in Pakistan that nobody is ready to refute. This is total fabrication that […]

The Federal Board of Revenue has released four documents in September 2020, namely, ‘FBR Year Book for 2019-20′,’Parliamentarians’ Tax Directory for Tax Year 2018′, ‘Tax Directory of all Taxpayers for Tax Year 2018’ and ‘Tax Directory Analysis for Tax Year 2018’. The data contained in these documents once again confirms lack of capacity of FBR […]

Every year a large number of legislators-Senators, members of National and Provincial Assemblies-fail to file their annual statements of assets and liabilities to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in time. The ECP, under the law, just temporarily suspends their membership and after filing of the required statements belatedly, the same stands restored. However, when […]

According to a Press report, following in the footsteps of the Federal Government, the Punjab Government has decided to borrow $ 304 million from the World Bank for tax reforms. Earlier, the Federal Government obtained loan of $400 million for Pakistan Raises Revenue (PRR) Project. Such loans, though not at all required, are being taken […]

According to a Press report, in a recent meeting between Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), the issue of sharing data about taxpayers/citizens was discussed. This issue is very vital from the perspective of protection of privacy of citizens’ data which, unfortunately has not been debated. The failure to […]

“If we realise that the FBR cannot be fixed, we will create a new FBR. This is because Pakistan’s survival is linked to it. It’s not about our liking or disliking: if our tax collection authority does not function properly, it could lead to a security risk. No nation that relies on loans can maintain […]