It is highly encouraging to note that the parliamentarians of our country have begun to appreciate the criticality of paying taxes. According to media reports, Asiya Nasir of JUI (F) has stressed the need for adopting the tax model of Scandinavian countries where no one is exempted from paying taxes. She has asked for tax reforms in the taxation system and advised political parties to act collectively for seeking reforms and simplifying the system.
Haji Adeel of ANP, another parliamentarian, has also asked for a uniform tax system. Everyone who earns must pay tax irrespective of his field and rank, according to him. A parliamentarian belonging Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Rashid Godial, has pointed out that while taxes are deducted from the salaries of government and private sector employees, nobody monitors the income of doctors and artists. The observations made by these parliamentarians effectively demonstrate the need of an informed debate on our electronic media in particular where issues such as taxes, a critical pillar of an economy, are relegated to the bottom of priority lists. Every government needs money to perform civil and military operations and to administer the running of the state.