This is reference to former Director UN Development for Pakistan, Marc Andre’s accusations against Pakistani elite in an interview on completion of tenure. His statement that “ You cannot have an elite that takes advantage of very cheap and uneducated labor when it comes to making money, and when it is time to party it is found in London, and when it’s time to buy property, it invests in Dubai or Europe or New York. The elite needs to decide do they want a country or not”.
His scathing criticism should have awakened their conscience and honor, when he stated that they refuse to pay taxes in Pakistan, but have no shame in seeking investment from UN agencies for water, sanitation, education etc. Very scathing but bitter reality of what ails this country, driving it to financial bankruptcy, creating loopholes to facilitate transfer of wealth, a rising debt which if not curtailed may lead to compromising our sovereignty and national security. Instead of welfare for deprived millions, or investing in development of human resources, the elite with their insatiable greed are involved in welfare of paid civil and khaki bureaucracy and political elite through tax amnesty schemes and allotment of prime real estate for commercial profiteering.
Compare Marc Andre’s comments with mindset of a senator who stated that “poor are born to serve the rich” or attitude of senior paid civil bureaucrats and khaki elite while dealing with citizens, whose taxes fund national exchequer which pays them salaries. An honest survey of individuals owning properties in Dubai, London, Canada, USA etc will reveal that their sole declared sources of earning were in Pakistan. Yet these individuals hold important public offices, while their children holding foreign passports get blue collared jobs and loyalists holding singular Pakistan passport sweat it out to earn a living
In a country where documented economy dwarfs compared to black economy, the state gives relief to Rs 7 Trillion Real Investment Business which yielded taxes of merely Rs 4 Billion, which after increase yields a meager Rs 40 or 70 Billion which comes to 0.0057 to 0.01%, with no taxes on profits from plots retained for more than 3 years.
Ali Malik Tariq
Lahore