“Taxes allow the government to collect money from people who have it, which means taxes are looked upon as a way to transfer money to the federal government. If the government wants to spend more than it collects by taxing, it can raise additional funds by borrowing from savers”— in The elites of Pakistan— the members of the , businessmen-turned-politicians and absentee land owners— are responsible for the present economic mess, that has pushed the country into a deadly —they beg for bail-outs from International Monetary Fund ( ) and ironically talk about ! They make tall claims about reforming the tax system, but shamelessly use the Federal Board of Revenue ( ) as their handmaiden in getting of billions of rupees. Through concessionary Statutory Regulatory Orders (SROs), non-collection of agricultural income tax, meagre or non-taxation of luxury and commercial properties e.
g. clubs and golf courses, unprecedented given to generals, judges and high-ranking civil officials, the national kitty suffers colossal —if these are recouped our tax-to-GDP ratio should be between 12% to14%. The narrative that Pakistanis do not pay taxes—popular with analysts, TV anchors, academicians, policymakers and foreign donors—is nothing but a .
The ground reality is that the poorer Pakistanis are the most , whereas the powerful elites not only enjoy tax breaks but also tend to thrive on labour and taxes of the down-trodden - a scenario that parallels 1780s France. The concentrat.