My problem with this is that there's an ocean of very profitable businesses in Karachi they could be targeting and they are instead picking on the weaker ones.
Pakistan's biggest markets in Saddar blatantly avoid taxis, bring in smuggled goods and find every nook and cranny of the law pinching paisas. But the ones getting targeted are beauty parlours, which are usually run by girls in the family mostly as hobbies and aren't exactly high yield for taxes.
It's not that they should not be taxed. Every business, and every taxable income needs to be brought into the tax net. But they need to start from the top and work their way to the bottom, and not the other way aroujnd.
It's curious to me, why single out beauty parlours here? There's a milkshop, mechanic, hardware store, grocery store, panwala, real estate guy, and myriads of other untaxed businesses at every street corner in Karachi. I guess they're not fun to harass. Perhaps the FBR officials are simply looking for a peek inside now that Ramzan is over.
