This is again very harsh treatment of the salaried class .
KARACHI: This is with reference to your report of May 31 where it was said that the government planned to levy a tax surcharge of 15 per cent through an ordinance. This is again very harsh treatment of the salaried class and only ends up burdening them even more.
It seems that the government has no other source to increase its revenues but to tax those who are already paying their fair share of tax. Why cannot it tax agriculture income? Will that not net billions in additional revenue, widen the tax net and increase the burden on those already in the tax net? Also, why not bring in sectors of the economy that are not so far in the tax net? What is the FBR doing about that?
The failure of the government to impose a reformed general sales tax or to increase the tax base through other resources is something that needs to be addressed.
Salman Zafar Lari
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2011.
