Tax-fueled chaos

The government of Pakistan is in the business of buying and selling electricity. It has so far lost Rs2.4 trillion in this business. The government of Pakistan is in the business of buying and selling wheat. The Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO) has so far lost Rs900 billion. The government of Pakistan is in the business of selling airline tickets. Over the past 25 years, PIA has lost Rs830 billion.

The government of Pakistan has been in the business of producing and selling steel. The Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) has so far lost Rs600 billion (PSM has been largely non-functional since 2015). The government of Pakistan is in the business of producing and distributing natural gas. Over the past 10 years, state-owned companies — Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) — have lost Rs500 billion. The government of Pakistan is in the business of managing ports and shipping. Over the past 25 years, the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) has lost Rs150 billion.

The government of Pakistan is in the business of providing postal and logistics services. Over the past 20 years, Pakistan Post has lost Rs50 billion. The government of Pakistan is in the business of buying and selling cotton. The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has incurred losses estimated at Rs200 billion.

The government of Pakistan is in the business of producing and selling fertilizer. The National Fertilizer Corporation has lost Rs150 billion. The government of Pakistan is in the business of broadcasting. Over the past 25 years, PTV and Radio Pakistan have collectively lost over Rs80 billion.

The government is in the business of supplying water and sanitation services. The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board and similar bodies nationwide have racked up losses of over Rs200 billion.

Lo and behold, the government of Pakistan’s sole focus remains tax collection. For the record, in 2008, Pakistanis paid Rs1,783 billion as tax into the government treasury. Lo and behold, this year, Pakistanis will be depositing Rs17,815 billion as tax into the government treasury — an increase of 899 per cent. Wow!

So why, oh why, is the government of Pakistan so maniacally fixated on bleeding its citizens dry through taxation? For the record, in 2008, the government of Pakistan’s expenditures stood at Rs2,000 billion. Lo and behold, this year, the government of Pakistan plans to spend a mindblowing Rs19,000 billion. It’s a spending spree so outrageous, it’ll leave you wondering where all that money’s really going.

Pakistani voters elected the government to govern — the government of Pakistan has instead become a colossal money pit, haemorrhaging trillions across industries, from electricity to airlines, steel to cotton. The government of Pakistan, instead of plugging these gaping financial wounds, has doubled down on squeezing every last rupee from taxpayers, jacking up collections from Rs1,783 billion in 2008 to a staggering Rs17,815 billion today. With spending ballooning to an insane Rs19,000 billion, it’s clear: this isn’t governance — it is reckless, tax-fueled chaos and the Pakistani taxpayers are footing the bill.

The writer is a columnist based in Islamabad. He tweets/posts @saleemfarrukh and can be reached at: farrukh15@hotmail.com