Carrying out evaluation of policy actions

29 Aug, 2014

Apropos 'WB team to evaluate policy actions, reforms' carried by Business Recorder on Wednesday, it has been reported that a "World Bank mission would carry out an evaluation of the latest status of the policy actions and reforms put in place for creating growth and investment climate in Pakistan through tariff rationalisation, one-window shop for business registration, effective audit of registered persons, improving revenue collection and federal government support to provinces in expanding the scope of General Sales Tax (GST) on services."
How unfortunate or ironic, however, it is that the global lending agency is undertaking assessment of country's economic growth and investment climate amid a grave political crisis in Pakistan. The World Bank's team must also be aware of the fact that a major political party has made a civil disobedience call through which it has asked people that they must not pay taxes, utilities' bills, withdraw their entire cash from banks and remit money from overseas through illegal channels. One, therefore, wonders how the World Bank will make an appropriate evaluation in accordance with its terms of reference.

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