EVER since the announcement of the latest amnesty scheme by the government – the sixth in the past decade – there have been discussions in the media on the efficacy of the scheme. Many have compared it with the Indonesian amnesty scheme of 2016, labelled as one of the most successful amnesty programmes around the world.

The government claims that the amnesty scheme is designed to change the economic landscape of the country. However, all major opposition parties have rejected it for the timing of its announcement and the hasty manner in which it has been promulgated. The PML-N government has only two months left before its five-year term comes to an end. The ordinances were promulgated hours before parliament was scheduled to meet; the prime minister announced the scheme and tax concessions after a short meeting of the economic advisory committee, which has no legal constitutional status. The annual budget for the next financial year is scheduled to be announced shortly; all this casts a shadow on the amnesty scheme.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is known to be faithful to his leader Nawaz Sharif. It is therefore presumed that this matter was undertaken on the advice and approval of the former prime minister. The aim seems to favour a corrupt political clique that has stashed its wealth abroad; the massive tax relief is to lure in the urban business community that forms the major vote bank of the PML-N.

Maj (r) Mumtaz Bashir
Lahore

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THE government has announced a tax amnesty scheme on the plea that it will bring economic stability to Pakistan. This decision is beyond one’s understanding. Millions of honest tax payers feel the government is actually facilitating wealthy people who have acted dishonestly by not declaring all their assets. Is it fair to pamper such people?

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said this scheme will facilitate such people in filing tax returns as, in turn, will help increase the tax revenue. However, we have seen such schemes fail miserably in the past. Why should this one fare any better?

It is unfair that citizens who have filed returns punctually and honestly for decades are given no relief. The government should announce a scheme to compensate these return filers. Tax filers who have filed returns honestly throughout their working lives should be given two per cent per annum of the total taxes they paid as pension. This will alleviate their financial difficulties in their twilight years and act as a golden incentive for tax laggards.

Rana Hassan
Karachi

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2018