BY

The scribe traveled into the twilight zone very late Thursday night on June 13, 1996, and met MAJYD AZIZ, the apologist for the agriculturists, who was beaming with joy and indulging in merriment and glee. He invited him for a cup of hot camel’s milk (the industrialist MAJYD AZIZ is a teetotaler), and regaled him with his views on the budget.

He was unashamedly showering praises and accolades to his "tribe", as he called the jovial Makhdoom Shahbuddin and others in the Assembly who represent the rural areas, and even went as far as calling V A Jaffery as the feudal’s best friend. He was complimenting the bureaucrats of IMF for their pragmatic persuasions which resulted in the presentation of a truly fabulous and sensational budget in nearly 50 years.

The budget, according to him, has laid the foundation stone for transforming Pakistan into a totally rural country where there will be just a semblance of scattered industries, which will be managed by die-hard industrialists who, one could then safely infer, considered industrialization as a mission and not as a money-making venture. He was sanguine that the recently presented budget would truly be the proverbial last straw that would break the camel’s back and sincerely hoped that finally, the foreign investors would pack up and disperse to other profitable areas.

He was also very happy to note that the educated professional cadre in the private sector, has finally gotten the shaft. He was exhilarated that CBR has taken away all tax benefits from the salaried people. Why should they get 45 % house rent allowance ? he queried and then himself advised these people to live in dormitories or in shanty towns. According to him, these professionals are more than adequately paid and enjoy heavy-loaded perks and privileges. They said that some of the kamdars on the farms were agitating for comparable emoluments too. He was also critical of those professionals who dared to come back to the native land, ostensibly to serve the country. He was sure that soon these foolhardy persons would go back to wherever they came from.

He was jubilant that finally the GST system was being enforced, both at the import and at the manufacturing stages. He, however, wished that a mini budget would be presented pronto and the scope of GST enlarged upto the retail level. He was determined in his opinion that very soon the local industries would close their doors, as industry was something of an anathema for him. He also stressed that a lot of the rural constituents were all lined up to be employed in the CBR and he said he would use influence to get them all posted as auditors for the purpose of GST. He wanted them all based in Karachi because here they could exert maximum pressure on the harried industrialists and bring

these industrialists (he called them tax-evaders, blood-suckers, unpatriotic) to their knees, and in the process extract huge amounts too.

He was also lauding the increase in the GST percentage by three additional points. This will raise the cost of products and will further be detrimental to the industrialization process. He also applauded the decision to maintain the maximum rate of import duty and also retaining the 10 % regulatory duty on all imports.

He rah-rahed the substantial increase in the salaries and perks of the President, the Prime Minister, and the Ministers. He was all for giving them extravagant benefits and privileges as they were the true servants of the state and deserve all monetary benefits. He was of the view that this is more important because the top VVIPs are from his "tribe".

He pooh-poohed the decision to increase the Wealth Tax on agriculturists from Rs 250 to a massive Rs 400 per PIU. This exorbitant figure would be murder for the poor feudals who can barely eke out a living on their tax-free millions. This will put them off from buying another Landcruiser, from getting another bride, and from purchasing another palatial estate in the urban areas. However, being prima patriotic, they were ready to sacrifice their hard-earned money so that the Treasury could get another Rs 4 million from them. This huge amount will definitely be a big help in bringing down the sacrosanct budget deficit.

He also was of the opinion that the government should take positive steps to exempt them from paying Capital Value Tax (CVT) on their purchases of vehicles and residential property. He felt that since his "tribe" feeds the 130 million denizens and are instrumental in earning billions from the exports of cash crops, they should be treated deferentially and this should invariably reflect in tax credits and other facilities. He further said that the electricity charges, the water charges, and other such rates and taxes should be on a rebated basis and the difference should be made up by increasing proportionately the rates / charges of urban residents.

He moreover stated that there should be a concerted effort to strengthen the hands of the tax collectors who should forcefully realize maximum taxes from the industrial and business community because it is this sector that is heavily involved in concealing income, resorting to under / over- invoicing, defaulting from paying bank loans, and going on strike on flimsy grounds.

He said that if the IRS in USA could nab Al Capone on tax evasion, if the Los Angeles Police could arrest Heidi Fleiss (the Madam with the black diary), and if mega-industrialists in S. Korea can be collared for keeping two set of books, why can’t the CBR do the same here, he wondered. He advised the Finance Ministry to tighten the tax noose around the industrialists and businessmen who think that they can get away with it.

He said that if proper and true tax is received then the government will not need to levy Ushr on the farmers, nor will farmers have to pay additional Wealth tax, nor will the agriculturists be liable for any CVT, etc. The cost of agri-produce is tenably higher because the industrialists and businessmen are sabotaging the taxation system by indulging in evasion and concealment.

It was simply amazing to listen to him, but suddenly there was a jolt and the industrialist MAJYD AZIZ was awakened by the Begum. She was reprimanding him for oversleeping and at the same time declaring that the next pay packet better be bulky or there will be only lentils at the dinner table. Que Sera Sera !