1-Myth
People pakistan pay taxes
Reality
We have lowest tax to gdp ratio in the region(not western world compared to region!!)
We also have lowest indirect taxation including indirect taxation on oil/energy
2- myth
Govt doesnt want to implement taxation
Reality
Traders sucessfully ran a campign with support of most of the public and political parties to derail this attempt
3- myth
Country wants to get independent and move towards export oriented balanced growth
Reality
There is no public support to do so. Govt incentives to promote exports are highly unpopular. Hence every govt has focused on imports.
Simialrly building dams or long term high return projcts are also UNPOPULARA
4-myth
Pakistanis dont have iphones.
Reality
We import 2b worth of iphones
5-myth
Agriculture isnt taxed hence pakistan is destroyed.
Reality
Agriculture isnt taxed in most of the countries to keep food prices down
Retail, energy and services are taxed
chaypana argument 1
no one in the world pays taxes on their own, the govts have to get off their asses and look for defaulters and take action against them. but that requires activity on FBR and govt's part. Ministers who are busy fighting political opponents on tv all day certainly havent got the stamina to do something like this.
chaypana argument 2
there was no public support, only coward backless govt folding under traders pressure.
chaypana argument 3
export oriented policies support exports, again, no one will look towards exports if they are simply not worth it. also, it has got nothing to do with the public, but everything to do with industrialists, some of whom are employed by this very govt. and even if they did introduce some half hearted measures, they themselves dont go all in on them. all of your arguments just point to the fact that the current govt is ball-less and incompetent. they have all the freedom to shoot people dead in sahiwal, they can raise prices on electricity and gas and stick to it (and rightfully so), but cannot stick to their own policies?
chaypana argument 4
is iphone made here? if not, it will imported. also, why isnt it made here, hint: take a look at argument 3 and apply it to mobile assembly. just introducing policies doesnt cut it, one has to lobby firms actively, also, still no electronics policy. btw, $ 2 billion is the value of all mobile imports, not just iphones.
chaypana argument 5
no one said its destroyed because of no taxation, people do say to tax it as it will contribute to revenue, and the govt should stop being lazy and cut out the arhti system, give direct access of markets to farmers. but that would require legwork, which fbr is too lazy to do, and the govt is too weak to implement.
you have conveniently ignored other points, like cutting down on govt's own expenditures. they have billions to waste, but do not have billions to introduce institutional reforms, or invest in productive sectors.
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