"Dar let down the people of this country with his budget and perhaps single-handedly would cost the party votes in the next elections if he is allowed to continue."
"I disagree."
"What part of the budget do you support? The rise in sales tax by one percent, to be levied even before the budget is passed through the assembly? The rise in income tax of existing tax payers and that too of those who earn from between Rs 41,000 per month to Rs 150,000 per month with the higher income slab getting to pay even less taxes than last year?"
"Well you should congratulate Dar on his income tax regimen! He has turned a direct tax namely income tax, defined as a tax levied more on the rich relative to the poor into an indirect tax whose impact is more on the poor relative to the rich."
"Don't be facetious."
"Anyway that is not why I disagreed with you when you said Dar let the PML (N) voters down as well as those who didn't vote for the party."
"I don't understand."
"Dar is a Senator, he is like Rehman Malik, owes his job to the party chief Nawaz Sharif and has no constituency other than the Sharifs."
That's a good constituency to have if you are ambitious these days. But you are being mean to Dar aren't you. I mean comparing him to Malik."
"Dar said that the one percent increase in sales tax would not fuel inflation! I mean surely he does understand the basics of economics. A rise in sales tax on fuel would automatically increase transport costs of essentials and therefore retailers would raise prices wouldn't they!"
"Ah yes which is why he took on the Supreme Court and parliament by making this tax effective from the day after his budget speech."
"But by doing so he challenged the parliament's authority."
"So what next?"
"I understand Dar is related to Nawaz Sharif but I do hope the Prime Minister keeps his promise to the nation: out with a federal minister if he doesn't deliver in three months and to be honest Dar's poor delivery would be for an entire year if he is allowed to keep the ministry."
"Honest man though."
"Dar?"
"Yes."
"OK but not qualified or competent and I thought this time appointments would be on the basis of merit."