Prime Minister Imran Khan met the business community of Karachi on Wednesday, to share the government’s stance over the finance bill and tax policies and to discuss & solve the issues of the community. He mentioned that the government stands fast with the businessmen to facilitate the growth of the economy and identify the bottlenecks. “Look, I have made it clear that we will do everything within our power to help them. You see if the businesses are thriving Pakistan will thrive.”, he said.
He gave the example of the Chinese approach to rule out the corrupt mindset to speed up the growth. He also put the limelight on taxation and said that “It is imperative for the traders to come into the tax net to make the country prosper,”. He added that the non-tax payers need to realize the importance of it and they must contribute their due share for the betterment of the country. “We are 210 million people, our small contributions will make a big difference. The tax target (5.5 trillion rupees) is nothing, we can collect at least (8 trillion rupees).”, he said.
He identified the three key points to escape from the current economic condition.
– Decreased Expenses – Increased Income – Elimination of Corruption
He explained that the government is planning to achieve the desired goals by focusing on the above key points. To decrease the expenses, the government has adopted austerity measures and is keenly observing every move to save the cost where possible. To increase the income, the export sector is backed with the due measure to enhance their output to earn foreign revenues. Further, to enhance that exports, trade agreements are also made with strategic partners.
Commenting on corruption, he said that “Corruption can’t be reduced if culprits are not brought to justice”. He again gave an example of China as they sentenced over 425 higher officials over corruption charges to set an example. He added that there would be no National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) for the corrupt.
