The Matrices of State Economics
All the economic matrices exclude the economic status of a taxpayer, and that’s why we have such misleading categories as a tax-to-GDP ratio and tax
July 27, 2024
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Recently, I put down my views regarding the National Finance Commission Award that were processing in my mind since 2017. When I shared this piece of writing in a WhatsApp group (3 June 2026), a debate ensued between a friend, Shahid Mehmood, an economist by training, and me. I am copying the debate below with […]
In the 1980s, one of China’s export items was the magazine China Pictorial, also published as چین باتصویر in Urdu. It was mailed free to subscribers. I was a subscriber myself and used to read it avidly. At the same time, the notorious Cultural Revolution was taking place. But in the magazine, they presented only […]
All the economic matrices exclude the economic status of a taxpayer, and that’s why we have such misleading categories as a tax-to-GDP ratio and tax
No business would ever plead with its customers to use less of their product(s). Be it electricity or anything else. The electricity business for the
There is no ownership of the state of Pakistan in Pakistan! No political party owns it. No constitutional institution owns it. Neither the parliament nor
کچھ لوگ چاہتے ہیں میں ان کی زبان بولوں۔ کیوں بھئی میں آپ کی زبان کیوں بولوں۔ کیا میرے پاس اپنی زبان نہیں۔ کچھ لوگ
Time and time again, it has been demonstrated that the custodian of the constitution, that is, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, is enemy number 1
Earlier, the pendulum of politics used to oscillate back and forth, that is, from the right to the left and from the left to the
Certain politicians, judges, and generals are fit to be tried under Article 6 of the Constitution. But who will leash the cats? How to leash
Here is circumstantial evidence that substantiates my long-held thesis that the main culprit is the politicians/political parties. All those who used to consider the security
Taking advantage of this opportunity, let me say the following: I have a world outlook. I have certain values and principles to adhere to. I
Nationalism! What nationalism? In a country where ordinary people are treated as third-rate citizens by the Riyasati Ashrafiya and Ashrafiya and no ordinary person enjoys
Taxes are not a function of growth. If they are, then if the growth rate is zero, the taxes should be zero. If the growth
Note: This article was originally published in The Express Tribune ISLAMABAD: Many economists love quoting the declining or rising figures of the Foreign Direct Investment
Note: This article was originally published in The Express Tribune ISLAMABAD: In their latest survey, Gallup & Gilani Pakistan asked a nationally representative sample of
Note: This article was originally published in The Express Tribune ISLAMABAD: Altering the economic system is not an easy task. It is more complex when
This is in response to my own short piece: Why there is no anti-tax narrative in Pakistan? Actually, the Tax Payers Alliance Pakistan (TPAP) asked
The idea struck me as a surprise: Poets create aesthetic value. What value do the economists create? In simple words, what’s the purpose that the
A clearly demarcated line can be drawn. On this side of which are found people who follow the rules and/or agreed upon rules. And on
Let me dispel this impression: “PTI supporters hoped Khan would challenge the entrenched power structures that have kept Pakistan underdeveloped…” [From an article that was
In Pakistan, almost everybody, especially economists, politicians, etc, wants to tax the people, but they never tell, WHY. Because there is no anti-tax narrative.
A few years ago, friends from a political party, that formed the government then, asked me to tell what things our party should do. I
There was a joke about Gen Zia and Noor Jahan in which understandably Gen Zia was meant to be punished. But it appeared he was
A friend was an economist proper, trained in a foreign university. When I tried to express myself on an economic issue under discussion, he told
تنقید کرتے رہنا، غصہ اور اشتعال دکھاتے رہنا۔۔۔ یہ چیزیں بھی ایک نشہ اور عادت بن جاتی ہیں۔ ہمیں صاف ذہن کے ساتھ کیا کرنا
انیق ناجی نے ایک انوکھا کام اپنے ذمے لگا لیا ہے۔ یعنی وہ یہ ثابت کرنا چاہ رہے ہیں کہ مسلم لیگ ن اور مسلم
آپ سوچنے سمجھنے والے فرد ہیں۔ تصورات و نظریات میں دلچسپی رکھتے ہیں۔ درپیش معاملات و مسائل کے بارے میں پڑھتے ہیں۔ اپنے خیالات کو
He died last year. Till death, he was a Marxist. He left his home and family to devote himself to serve the cause. His last
سینیٹ میں چیئرمین سینیٹ و ڈپٹی چیئرمین سینیٹ کی مراعات سے متعلق جو متازعہ نجی بل منظور ہوا ہے، اس کے پیش کرنے والوں میں
Under the circumstances, IK desperately wanted any crutches. JIP desperately wanted its mayor to be elected. That desperation is always bad in politics and bad
I try to explain why there is no unrest (or it is in a latent state). There is no political group or party to lead
دانشور اشرافیہ، ثقافتی اشرافیہ اور سیاسی اشرافیہ کا ایک مخصوص حصہ شیریں مزاری پر ظلم و ستم کے جو پہاڑ ٹوٹے ہیں، ان پر ہاہا
I learned a lot from the students I taught. Now when I reflect back on those years (1988-2006, a continuous teaching period, after
اگر کوئی شخص اپنی نارمل زندگی سے اوپر اٹھ کر اشرافیہ، ریاستی اشرافیہ اور دانشور اشرافیہ کے تانے بانے کو توڑنا چاہے، ریاست اور اس
پاکستان کے ’’دشمن‘‘ اس کی سرحدوں کے باہر نہیں، سرحدوں کے اندر ہیں۔ اور یہ ’’دشمن‘‘ ہیں: دانشوروں کے تعصبات اور ان کے ذہنوں کا
نوٹ: یہ مختصر تحریر 17 جون، 2017 کو ویب سائیٹ: WWW.UrduAlert.com پر شائع ہوئی۔ ایک تو یہ کہ رمضان میں پھلوں کا استعمال اور یوں طلب
Note: The following exchange took place in a WhatsApp group. The name of the objector is being withheld. Objection by Someone: Never understand this elite
That’s something unprecedented. Probably never ever any head of the IMF came forward to publicly propose what the government of Pakistan needed to do. But
Time and time again, the issue of hereditary politics finds limelight in the electronic and social media, and in the newspapers. For this or that
The umpteenth time, a nationwide electricity blackout happened on 23 January. It was told, after keeping the system switched off during the night when they
Note: A version of this article was published in The Friday Times. Miftah Ismail’s Economics Far Cry From His Party’s Record This is merely a
Note: A version of this article was published in the Friday Times. Project Imran Has Necessitated Shock Therapy For Pakistan’s Politics Top leadership of the
نوٹ: یہ تحریر میری ایک فیس بک پوسٹ ہے، جو 28 جنوری 2021 کو فیس بک پر پوسٹ کی گئی تھی۔ پاکستان میں بہت شروع
Note: An edited version of the following article was published in the Friday Times on 20 January, 2023. Can A People-Centered Charter Of Economy Be
The state economy has failed miserably. It is collapsing under its own weight. And the debris is falling directly on the already-much-dented civil economy. In
The jurisdiction of the high courts and supreme court in the political and government matters (i.e. how to run the state/gov in accordance with the
The barter is the essence of economics. Ultimately it’s a good (or a service) the exchange of which takes place. The economics happens between two
Almost all the economists and the state economists especially have a painting hanging at the back of their minds that displays a dream of living
Now instead of writing, I am posting my talks on various issues regularly on my YouTube Channel: Dr Khalil Official Join the Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVSq4e_xHkgqoWAJ3swq6Eg جو
Note: Here conversation means any serious exchange of ideas between two or more persons. Nothing in any manner has any reference to any person whosoever.
One friend sent this excerpt from Oswald Spengler: “This machine-technics will end with the Faustian civilization and one day will lie in fragments, forgotten —