Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday again urged people to pay their taxes to help strengthen the country’s economy.
“The country is at a crossroads. We pay the least tax. In the past 10 years, we took many loans and a lot of the expenditure goes in the interest on those taxes. We need to get out of this quicksand. We have to change ourselves,” the PM said while talking to a private TV channel.
“In the 60s, Pakistan was on the rise, but we don’t pay taxes. There’s too much corruption here.”
“People think their tax won’t be spent on them. They believe it’ll be stolen or won’t be spent on them. However, I promise it would definitely be spent on them. Tax will be spent on the welfare of the people and nobody will be allowed to harass the tax-payers.”
He urged people to pay taxes, saying: “Don’t live in constant fear of punishment.”
“I hope that the people who give charity [one of the top five countries] will also give tax. Pay your taxes and make your life easy,” he said, further reiterating his appeal by stressing that half of the money collected through the taxes had gone to debt-servicing.
In response to a question about extending the date, he said no extension would be given, but Sunday would be open to facilitate people. Khan said that payments could be made later but the declarations had to be made by June 30.
Khan also made a special appeal to the people, saying he wished for people to unite like they do at times of floods and earthquakes. “At least register by [June] 30, even if you cannot make payments now. Installments will also be given [but] no extension after June 30,” he said.
Further, he clarified that non-custom-paid vehicles were not included in the scheme but those vehicles that were custom-paid but not declared could be declared.
Speaking of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership and its accomplishments, Khan said: “The information the government has today, no government had it previously. Benami [unnamed] property will be confiscated in addition to other punishment. We will be compelled to punish people and award them sentences. At present, there is “money-laundering of $10 billion each year.”
The PM explained that the government was looking at how some elements were getting away with smuggling in the tribal areas and Balochistan.
“Our aim is simple. We are connecting citizens with their governors and representatives who will answer the citizen’s connections. We are the facilitators and the middlemen whose job is to conduct people,” the PM said.
“Here questions will be asked by the people. We can only encourage them to ask questions and avail the opportunity to clear their understandings and also encourage the representatives and the governors of the country to take the chance and clarify the solutions you have created for the problem in the hope of saving the country. One this is for sure: our tax collection rate is the lowest in the world and Pakistan can’t continue as a state with this current state of affairs!”
He said his government would be willing to implement suggestions if people “give good advice”. “Give a projection about how much you will have in hand,” Khan added.
Separately, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government would fulfill all the promises made with the tribal people.
Talking to a group of legislators hailing from tribal districts, PM Imran said that for the first time in the country’ history, the incumbent government had given priority to the uplift of tribal districts.
The prime minister said that the government was fully aware of the problems being faced by the people in newly merged districts.
He said that the provincial government had allocated Rs 83 billion for the development projects in tribal districts and added that people’s representatives would be included in the process to monitor the implantation of development projects.
Earlier on April on 17, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that development of tribal districts and provision of basic facilities to tribal people were the top priorities of the PTI government.
Presiding over a high-level meeting to review the development of newly merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PM Imran had said that the tribal people rendered unmatched sacrifices during the war against terrorism and had directed to release the compensation money to the tribal people immediately.
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