This refers to the news report, ‘Imran admits forming offshore company to evade British taxes’ (May 14). There is a huge difference between tax ‘evasion’ and ‘avoidance’. The former is illegal whereas the latter is legal.
Governments all over the world provide what are known as tax shelters that help people avoid taxes. What Imran Khan and many others, who have setup offshore companies, may have done is to legally avoid taxes. The key issue here is to follow the money trail and determine if any laws of the land have been broken. This key difference should be explained to people to avoid unnecessary confusion.
Dr Azmat Abbas
Lahore
*****
I understand that PTI Chairman Imran Khan has admitted to owning property in London through an offshore company and that his party spokespersons, who had denied this, are now saying they were not lying when they denied this that they had forgotten. But Imran Khan wants to become the prime minister, and his latest attempt to dislodge the elected prime minister is based on the fact that the PM’s children own properties in London through offshore companies.
I am a humble citizen of this country who comes from one of the smaller provinces – the one that in fact gave the PTI chairman and his party the chance to prove them in power and improve the state of the province. I am very confused by this business of offshore companies. Perhaps one of the persons who speaks for the PTI can help me and other ordinary citizens understand why the PTI believes that it is all right for Imran Khan who simply wants to become the prime minister at any cost to hold property(ies) in London through offshore companies, while Nawaz Sharif is unfit to be the prime minister because his children own property(ies) in London through offshore companies.
Sher Ali Khan
Mardan