Efforts needed to widen tax net: SK Niazi

Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: Editor in Chief Pakistan Group of Newspapers and Chairman Roze News Monday said that government should make efforts to widen the tax net. He was speaking in Roze News program Sachi Baat.
Sardar Khan Niazi said that those who are already part of the tax net should be facilitated by the government, adding that the actual issue is the smaller tax net. The Editor in Chief Pakistan Group of Newspapers also recommended reduction in taxes.
He cited the example of India and said that number of taxpayers as a percentage of total population if higher in India. He said that one of the reasons for a smaller tax base is the lack of trust on government.
Commenting on the chaos in Punjab since the arrest of former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general Ahad Cheema in the Ashiana Housing Scheme scandal, he questioned why the Punjab government is panicking.
He said that Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Justice (Retired) Javed Iqbal and Director General NAB Lahore Shahzad Saleem are both honest officials and will ensure transparency in the investigation process. He also lamented the reaction of bureaucracy in Punjab to the arrest of Ahad Cheema.
Speaking in the program on the issue noted lawyer SM Zafar and Ahmad Raza Kasuri both lamented the reaction of bureaucracy in Punjab to the arrest of Ahad Cheema and said that the actions of bureaucrats are against the law.
Ahmad Raza Kasuri claimed that Shehbaz Sharif is worried that Ahad Cheema will spill the beans against him. Kasuri also lauded Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and said that the Chief Justice has materialized the dream of rule of law.