• Suggests Centre allow provinces to collect taxes, to help solve govt’s financial issues
• Calls on govt to first ‘utilise consensus on south Punjab’ before thinking of creating more provinces

LAHORE: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday said that the country’s economy cannot be run “by force” and suggested that the federal government allow provinces to collect taxes to bolster the economy.

Speaking to journalists after meeting with the business community at the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Mr Bhutto-Zardari also said that the provinces could directly collect sales tax, in view of independent reports about a Rs3 trillion leakage.

“Wherever you need our help at the level of the president of Pakistan, our governors; we are ready to do so for your district-wise economic uplift plan,” the PPP chief said.

“The prime minister also desires to work for this, but the difference between their approach and ours is that they believe in centralisation and we focus on decentralisation,” he added.

The PPP chief acknowledged the business community’s concerns about high tax rates, but maintained that his party believes in collecting more taxes to strengthen the economy.

“Though the goal is the same, the problem is that the sitting and previous governments wanted to run the economy by force. We think that the economy cannot be run by force, but through a soft attitude,” he added.

“You can attract more bees with honey than vinegar. Therefore, if we make our tax rates competitive and give respect to taxpayers, instead of snubbing them or bringing them into the tax net by force, we can get better results,” Bilawal argued.

He suggested that the government give tax-collecting responsibilities to provinces. If the provinces collected more than the targets fixed by the federal government, they would return the difference to the Centre.

“I think it will greatly help the federal government resolve its financial issues,” the PPP chairman maintained.

Consensus on new provinces

Mr Bhutto-Zardari also advised the government to first generate consensus on new provinces in the National Assembly, before discussing their creation.

“Before talking about creating 20 provinces, first implement the consensus that already exists for new provinces,“ he said while talking to senior journalists at Bilawal House on Tuesday evening.

Recalling that the Punjab Assembly had passed a resolution for the creation of a new province, he said there was already consensus in the National Assembly on forming new provinces, and suggesting acting on the existing consensus for south Punjab first before moving forward.

The PPP chief said that reconciliation was the only way forward for the country. “If we continue in an environment where we cannot even talk to each other, or if the situation in one province worsens, problems will multiply.”

In a reference to the PML-N’s insecurities towards the PPP, he said that when he came to Punjab, he did not speak against anyone, yet even that was not tolerated.

“I ask them (PML-N) to appoint their own governor in Sindh, but they don’t. It has always been a hallmark of the PPP that we remained democratic,” he said.

Commenting on Imran, he said the PTI leader was still stuck in the same mode when he was ousted from power in 2022.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2025