LAHORE: All over the world, citizens pay taxes because failure to do so would lead to severe punishments as per laws in existence. It is the fear of law and severity of punishment which induces what we call a culture of tax in a society. There is no such thing as the voluntary payment of taxes. Replace the US Internal Revenue System with our FBR, and tax evasion would be as rampant in the US as it is in Pakistan. Does the Constitution give powers to the prime minister or even parliament to pass laws which are discriminatory in essence?
The modern concept of a state with a disciplined armed militia, police, judiciary, parliament, bureaucracy, basic civil infrastructure and all other regulatory institutions would not be practicable unless taxes are collected to sustain such a system. Laws, when not implemented, only encourage violations. In the developed world, where the rule of law prevails, the biggest crimes against the state are tax evasion, illegal occupation of state land and pilferage of the national exchequer. This most recent Financial NRO announced by the prime minister follows similar amnesty schemes announced by the previous PPP government and its preceding Musharraf regime that passed the NRO. Such amnesty schemes are a violation of the Constitution, which guarantees equal rights for all citizens with no discrimination in the application of laws. It seems that only those who pay taxes honestly in this country are not entitled to any privileges in Pakistan, while laws are relaxed to give relief to tax evaders and smugglers.
Malik Tariq Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th, 2016.
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