Pakistan’s poor should benefit from subsidies, not the wealthy: IMF chief

[Skull and Bones]

Pakistan had ration system in 70s and it was quite acceptable.

Certainly the system is not working now, otherwise there wouldn't had been a shortage of food for the poor.

 

[HAIDER]

Certainly the system is not working now, otherwise there wouldn't had been a shortage of food for the poor.

It was abolish for political gain. Pakistan has been importing cheap wheat from 1980s or free wheat which supposed to dump in the ocean. Pakistan was only responsible for the cost of transportation. Then came corruption, Monsanto, WTO to control the food supply chain.

 

[Skull and Bones]

It was abolish for political gain. Pakistan has been importing cheap wheat from 1980s or free wheat which supposed to dump in the ocean. Pakistan was only responsible for the cost of transportation. Then came corruption, Monsanto, WTO to control the food supply chain.

Then India did really well to keep Monsanto, WTO away from interfering into our domestic supply chain.

 

[HAIDER]

Then India did really well to keep Monsanto, WTO away from interfering into our domestic supply chain.

Monsanto killing your farmers and WTO is active behind the scene . India also has no guts to say no.

 

[firohot4321]

,.,.,.

Pakistan’s poor should benefit from subsidies, not the wealthy: IMF chief​

Dawn.com
February 19, 2023

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgiev speaks in an interview on Friday. — DW Asia Twitter
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has stressed that Pakistan needs to protect the poor and tax the wealthy while ensuring that subsidies are targeting those who really need them, it emerged on Sunday.

In an interview on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, the IMF chief said: “My heart goes to the people of Pakistan. They have been devastated by the floods that affected one-third of the population of the country.

“What we are asking for are steps Pakistan needs to take to be able to function as a country and not to get into a dangerous place where its debt needs to be restructured,” she said.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1626718132340682752

“I want to stress that we are emphasising two things. Number one, tax revenues. Those who can, those that are making good money [in the] public or private sector need to contribute to the economy. Secondly, to have a fairer distribution of the pressures by moving subsidies only towards the people who really need it.

“It shouldn’t be that the wealthy benefit from subsidies. It should be the poor [who] benefit from them,” she said. “And there the Fund is very clear. We want the poor people of Pakistan to be protected.”

Pakistan held 10 days of intensive talks with an IMF delegation in Islamabad — from Jan 31 to Feb 9 — but could not reach a deal.

The IMF, however, said in an earlier statement that both sides have agreed to stay engaged and “virtual discussions will continue in the coming days to finalise the implementation details” of the policies, including the tax measures, discussed in Islamabad.

The government is in a race against time to implement the tax measures and reach an agreement with the IMF as the country’s reserves have depleted to a critically low level of $2.9 billion, which experts believe is enough for only 16 or 17 days of imports.

The agreement with the IMF on the completion of the ninth review of a $7bn loan programme would not only lead to a disbursement of $1.2bn but also unlock inflows from friendly countries.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday tabled the Finance (Supplementary) Bill, 2023, in both houses of the parliament, outlining tax measures to raise an additional Rs170bn in the next four and half months to meet the last prior actions agreed upon with the IMF.

The IMF has given a deadline of March 1 for the implementation of all these measures. However, the bulk of tax measures worth Rs115bn was already implemented from Feb 14 through statutory regulatory orders.

Pakistan’s poor should benefit from subsidies, not the wealthy: IMF chief

Says those making "good money" need to contribute to the economy.

www.dawn.com

When IMF is more worried about the people then there government itself

IMF meant from increasing taxes
Primarily by income taxing rich

But since that's the government and power holder
So instead they went for gst and other indirect taxes which targets public
And saying that IMF told em so

 

[xyxmt]

Even IMF is pro-Pakistani it seems but Pakistan's Dirty MotherC*** (PDM) and their handlers

 

[Skull and Bones]

Monsanto killing your farmers and WTO is active behind the scene . India also has no guts to say no.

Monsanto has lost many court cases in India in the recent years.

 

[epebble]

And saying that IMF told em so

Blaming someone else, especially outsiders, is the supreme art form of Pakistan government. Pakistan's national anthem should be Woe is me.

 

[I.R.A]

Too bad the idiots in charge right now will never understand this real message

Will? Oh they understand every one bit of it, it is only that they wish that few others who understand this shouldn't understand it or talk about it.

The next interesting drama unfolding right now is, politicians indirectly blaming and targeting jarnail class, it is totally pop corn worthy show, politicians ganging up on jarnail class (not because they have some how found the ghairat or the lost courage, but because this is new to win the votes). Sympathy vote this time is for the ones who more openly accuse jarnail mafia. I do feel like that going bankrupt is a blessing in disguise. Judge, bureaucrat, parliamentarian, jarnail .. they all very well know, what is wrong and how it can be corrected, but obviously why would they?

 

[Goritoes]

IMF/USA/China/World Bank and everyone should condition their investments/AID with Military budget reduction, and some Independent Investigations must be launched against the Army, than and only than any investments or AID should reach Pakistan.

 

[ACE OF HEARTS]

Benazir Income Support Programme / Similar Charity Programmes, the grant money is still being funnelled to bureaucrats, and their relatives.

If the poor does get the money, on the basis of his / her CNIC, it is only the percentage of the original amount, the rest majority being engulfed by the officials on the pretext of various charges, the POOR DON'T DARE QUESTION, THEY ARE THANKFUL FOR THE MEAGER AMOUNT THEY GET.

 

[Olympus81]

The Ehsaas Program (a majority of it) was certainly working fine. This government just abandoned it.

Coming to subsidies for the rich, the IMF is right in its assessment.

You see most countries have made it a law for government not to be able to sell oil below the base price. You can play with the GST, taxes, marketing costs on top of it. But the base price is something you cannot play with. High time Pakistan implements this or IMF forces its hand here.

Slash the defense budget, non development expenditures. Sell off the Golf courses. The provincial government needs to reclaim the cantonment areas. Sell of LSEs (PIA, Steel Mills). The government has no business doing business. Sell off Roosevelt hotel but keep the land and lease it out.

 

[FuturePAF]

What she is really saying is that IMF will no longer let the elite carry on stealing from the people if they want IMF to bail them out this time. Too bad the idiots in charge right now will never understand this real message, due to being utterly short-sighted corrupt morons.

It goes even beyond that, this IMF chief can be a God-send if they know how to negotiate with her.

Her doctoral thesis was literal on environmental protection and economic growth in the US. If Pakistan’s economic reforms and increase in social spending (with fixed % of the budget set for things like health care and education) can be linked with greater market access and WB funding for dams (cleaner and cheaper energy before Pakistan is forced to build many coal fired power plants to meet its needs) and water projects like waste water treatment plants. It would be the environment led growth model she, herself lays out in her paper.

Marketed as; With more exports linked to fixed percentages in the budget for social spending, the more Pakistan exports the faster Human capital development can occur, and the faster Pakistan can achieve the 17 UN sustainable development goals.

Heck, if she can negotiate this kind of deal with the Pakistani elite, She should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

And that this increase in social spending will lead to an increase in productivity and an increase in the tax base. Done through a democracy most of the people stand behind, even with a period of austerity when there is the realistic prospects for growth, means the elites will come out ahead soon enough. With population growth expects to be 55% over the next 25 years, without a plan, it s only going to get harder.

 

[I.R.A]

The provincial government needs to reclaim the cantonment areas.

Judges colonies? Police lines? Clubs? Bungalows spread over some acres for public servants? Cars, fuel, telephone, electricity, trips, security protocols, maids, servants, gardeners, drivers ... it is not only cantonments.

 

[Olympus81]

Judges colonies? Police lines? Clubs? Bungalows spread over some acres for public servants? Cars, fuel, telephone, electricity, trips, security protocols, maids, servants, gardeners, drivers ... it is not only cantonments.

Agreed. Every such land needs to be reclaimed. And so do the perks.