THE amnesty scheme was like herding the entire flock with one stick without giving thought to societal norms and values. An Improvement in direct taxation is desirable but out of whose pockets?

Basically the scheme should have started from the commercial, industrial, agricultural, an d political sectors instead of being imposed on all. There are many senior citizens who paid direct taxes as long as they worked but have lost all record of the past. Then there are inherited properties which were registered back in time whose owners passed away long time ago.

It’s also disturbing to note that the value assessed by the Federal Bureau of Revenue is 1.5 of the DC value regardless of the fact that even in A category areas the market value of those properties is much less owing to their age and location. Assessing new and old properties in the same category regardless of many important factors is fallacious and excessive.

On the other hand, there are properties in illegally raised colonies which are categorised as lower class, even though they are more expensive than those in the A category areas. As for inherited gold jewellery declared in the past, it now lies divided among three generations. There is no point in that jewellery being declared again. The amnesty scheme was disturbing for the less educated or who could not even comprehend its intricacies. It was also cumbersome for the senior citizens who have long retired and live off their savings or are taken care of by their children.

Frankly speaking this amnesty should have aimed at recovering wealth from the politicians and the big guns instead of disturbing the whole socio-economic balance.

Mazhar Butt
Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2019