LAHORE: The speakers have stressed the need to build human economy for benefit of everyone, not just the privileged few.
They were addressing a seminar on equality and human economy at Alhamra cultural complex organised by Indus Consortium and Rise for Equality jointly the other day.
Indus Consortium Manager Programme Implementation Fiza Qureshi gave a presentation on human economy while Jamshid Fareed, Executive Director, HELP Foundation highlighted efforts to end inequalities. Prominent singer Jawad Ahmed discussed poverty situation in Pakistan.
Fiza Qureshi said that world’s biggest issue is economic inequality. Quoting reports of Oxfam and gave references of World Bank and World Economic Forum, she said that “One out of ten persons in the world still have to sleep hungry”.
She said that eight billionaires own the same wealth which the poorest 3.6 billion people have. She said that the economic managers of various governments need to work for poor, ignored and marginalized segments of the society. The governments need to cooperate for economic growth. She suggested that technology should be used to increase employment opportunities and not for curtailing jobs.
By any measures we are living in the age of super-rich, a second gilded age in which a glittering surface masks social problems and corruption. Oxfam’s analysis of the super rich includes all those individuals with a net worth of at least dollars 1 billion. The 1810 dollars billionaires on the year 2016.
Jamshid Fareed, Executive Director, HELP Foundation, said that indirect taxes are unjust, unfair as the poor who have no taxable income are taxed at the same rate as the rich.
He said that the prevailing regressive taxation needs transformation into progressive tax system.
He said, “current economy of the 1% in the world is built on set of false assumptions which lie behind many of the policies, investments and activities of the governments”.
Jawad Ahmed stressed the need of making well-planned efforts to remove the disparities causing inequality.
He urged the youth to focus on research work in various areas.
He said that the fabric of the society contains more than 43 Million living under poverty line and another 45 Million living at threshold level.
Poor social indicators
25 million children out of school; 4 $ spending on health per person against UN recommended 45 $ million people are undernourished; more than half of Pakistani population don’t have access to toilets; about 11% don’t have access to improved drinking water sources.
The power to change is in people’s hand, government need to be pushed into action by the citizens who elect them, to rather stop serving mostly the rich elites; the prevailing regressive taxation needs transformation into progressive tax system.
Women farmers from rural areas of Leyyah, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh and Multan were also present during the event to share real life experiences of bearing the brunt of taxation on household items, agriculture inputs and other essentials of daily life use.
