It continues to tax those who are already overtaxed, while completely turning a blind eye towards expanding the tax net
A foreign currency dealer counts US dollar notes at a shop in Karachi.—AFP/FileThere has been an incessant focus on attracting foreign investment...
Incidence of taxes on salaried segment has in fact increased in range of 25-40 per cent
Author says rarely has Pakistan been able to sustainably exceed a tax-to-GDP ratio greater than ten per cent
People buy pulses and grains at a wholesale market in Karachi. — AFP/FileIndirect taxes make up roughly 60 per cent of total revenue collected by...
There are around 113,000 households that have solar net metering in Pakistan
a Pakistani employee of the state-run Islamabad Electric Supply Company , takes a meter reading with his smartphone at a commercial building in...
A representational image of a transmission tower, also known as an electricity pylon. — AFP/FileLower electricity prices can stimulate industrial...
Public transportation options exclusively relying on electric
This representational image shows the Coalmine. — PixabayThe government has been the biggest borrower from banks over the last decade, making up...
The government is yet to present any plan that breaks the cycle
As new government takes shape, first order of business is to accelerate closure of fresh IMF programme
Pricing of both sources of energy is controlled by sovereign, creating distortion, and misalignment of incentives
Question is why IMF is being asked to look into Pakistani elections — and what lender of last resort can even do about this
Inability to produce at competitive prices to either consume locally or export results in greater reliance on imports which necessitates...
Political manifestos are often wish lists that rarely come true. Free or cheap electricity is one such promise that may never materialize. Over the...
Abject refusal of successive governments and tax bodies to actually undergo necessary reforms has led to a scenario where our tax collections remain...
It is estimated that more than Rs110 billion is spent on weddings on an annual basis
Hundreds of thousands of words have been written about the economy, and how to fix it over the last many years, but not much is done, and the...
The government continues to run its fiscal affairs with an increasing reliance on debt to fund its expenditures. The reliance on debt to fund fiscal...
Detractors will say that the existing legal and governance framework makes it difficult to move towards a more competitive market
Afghan refugees wait near the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Azakhel Voluntary Repatriation Centre in Nowshera on October 30, 2023....
This picture shows a general view of the Karachi sea port. — AFP/File Since 2010, the global economy has been on a spending spree, with close to...
Capital markets in any economy characterize the nature of that economy. The depth of such markets refers to how much capital exists in such a...
An unhealthy obsession with the rupee-dollar exchange rate has been driving the economic discourse and policy actions in the country, such that...
Pakistan’s economy is now effectively stuck in a low-growth trap. The composition of the economy is heavily tilted towards consumption, with...
The economy has been in a tailspin for the last few years, and the way everything is being managed , it is only going to get worse. High...
Inflation that continues to remain in excess of 25% has further eroded real incomes, as households scramble to balance their budgets
An energy transition is happening. Moving to a target of net-zero global emissions requires a steady move from fossil fuels to renewable energy, or...
More than one-third of all energy consumption in Pakistan can be attributed to the transportation segment, covering motorcycles, automobiles,...
PAKISTAN has a crude oil refining capacity of roughly 400,000 barrels per day, and this has stayed at the same level for more than a decade now,...
The government recently announced a hike in electricity tariff complying with requirements of the fresh funding unlocked from the IMF. Successive...
Digital loan sharks advertise heavily on social media and other platforms on the internet, targeting the most vulnerable segments of society
There has been a lot of noise regarding the Temporary Economic Refinance Facility which was initiated by the State Bank of Pakistan in the first...
Electricity tariffs for lifeline customers have increased by 70 percent over the last five years. During the same period, electricity consumption...
A mass exodus of people, capital, and knowledge is in process. Deteriorating economic circumstances and largely flat incomes in real terms during...
No matter how much one tries to be optimistic, policymakers continue to make decisions that only push the country and its people to an uncertain...
THE outlay for Budget 2023-24 is estimated to be Rs14.46tr, of which almost half will be allocated towards servicing of debt. What else does Budget...
The National Economic Council has set an economic growth target of 3.5 per cent for the upcoming fiscal year, while also acknowledging a population...
Such a tax would further increase the effective tax on companies that are operating in the formal space
One-third of the total children's population in Pakistan, or 34 million children, is deemed as malnourished. This number is bigger than most...
Pakistan’s GDP contracted to 0.29pc in FY23
Whenever one feels that it cannot get any worse, it does get worse. It's a race to the bottom, and we clearly aren't stopping anytime soon. The...
There is more than Rs8.5 trillion of currency in circulation sloshing around in the economy. This is capital, or funds that stay outside the formal...
"It’s very important for the Pakistani economy to address the imbalances and to maintain macroeconomic stability," Jihad Azour says
Pakistan has a debt problem. It also has an energy problem. Without solving the debt and energy problem, it is not possible to get on a sustainable...
Standing Committee on Finance was told that $3 billion was given out as interest-free loans in the last government’s tenure, which was essentially...
The famed American artist, The Notorious B.I.G, exclaimed that "the more money we come across, the more problems we see".This also resonates with...
There are more than 25 million two-wheelers and three-wheelers officially plying the country’s roads
