Sugar barons

Bymaking the sugar scam report public, the PM has set a great precedent. After the report was released the burden of acting against the culprits lies on the relevant government organizations. However, so far, we have seen no action or suggestion of improvement. I think the sugar scam report has made it clear that sugar mills were underreporting their profits and therefore were not eligible for any export subsidy. Therefore, the first thing to do is to recover the value of all export subsidies to the sugar mills, going back 20 years.

Furthermore, the mills should be asked to pay all their back taxes on undeclared production in one year instalments using profits from their other businesses, while farmers who have still not been paid by the mills should be asked to register complaints with the relevant authorities. Most importantly, the government should ensure that sugar is sold at a set rate. Citizens who purchase at higher rates should send an online complaint with a picture of the receipt. The vendor should be heavily fined and asked to supply the receipts from his distributor, who should then be punished accordingly.

Shahryar Khan Baseer

Peshawar