BEFORE the Punjab chief minister embarks upon his plan to tax the rich by imposing a huge property tax on them, he must better inform the public that his government believed in austerity and that there are neither freeloaders nor plundering bureaucrats.

Whenever any government falls short of cash, its mandarins devise novel methods to extort money from the public.

Will Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announce how many ministers, state ministers and parliamentary secretaries his government has?

What are their salaries, perks and benefits, such as free electricity, travel allowance, vehicles in their use and cars in the use of their families?

How many vehicles does the chief minister himself use?

The top layer that rules the country, including the sacred khakis, do not appear to belong to this nation, living on crumbs and handouts.

They look and behave like little sheikhs of oil-rich kingdoms.

Even their spouses behave like sheikhas. The chief minister has no idea about the pent-up feelings of the public against its rulers.

The public thinks the rulers are remnants of the Raj, the kala sahibs who speak wrong English fluently. Will they spare us the agony?

Mr Shahbaz Sharif should not take this piece in jest; he should introspect deeply before he makes decisions.

MIRZA TUFTAN BAIG Lahore

Policy reforms

IT is in the national interest to adopt a policy of taxation in accordance with the ability to pay.

Basic principles of this equitable policy should be as follows:

Levying of income tax on income of all persons if it exceeds the threshold.

Calculation of income tax at progressive rates for integrated total income.

Payment of income tax as direct liability of a taxpayer.

If this policy is properly administrated, then there can be much less reliance on sales tax.

As a result, there will be relief for those who do not have the ability to pay taxes.

K. MOHAMMAD TARAQ Former Member (Income Tax) Central Board of Revenue Islamabad