*ISLAMABAD: *Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Shabbar Zaidi refusesto bow before pressures from the mafia over taxation measures.
He said on Friday that the government remains focused on the expansion ofthe tax base, as it is necessary for the documentation of the economy.
“Taxation is the only way forward for equitable distribution of wealth, aswe cannot have a stabilized and equitable society unless we have a fairtaxation system,” he said during a policy symposium on “Pakistan’s Economyand IMF Programme: Challenges and Opportunities” organised by theSustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).
He said the incumbent government and the International Monitory Fund are onthe same page and there is no disagreement on the measures proposed by theIMF, especially with regard to taxation.
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Zaidi said the government would not bow down to the pressure, protests andlame excuses of businesses and industries. “We are trying to make Pakistangood for everyone and not for (any) particular sector.”
He lambasted the previous taxation regimes for lack of prudent taxpolicies. “The policies of the previous governments made Pakistan a tradingstate instead of a semi-manufacturing state. They made the country importeverything, from mineral water to foods items, and never worked-out onimport substitution,” he added.
