Stop
smuggling; create ten million jobs!
I never thought our
cabinet ministers had a sense of humour. I refer to the news item, according to
which the government is setting up a customs authority to curb smuggling. From
the experience, we know what would happen: Customs personnel will use their enhanced
powers to harass legal importers while doing nothing to stop smuggling. If the
government is really sincere in catching smugglers, all it has to do is to raid
thousands of shops in Karkhano Bazaar in Peshawar and other markets in all
cities. They would recover smuggled goods worth billions of rupees. But the
ruling party dare not confront the smugglers’ mafia, which has the support of
many powerful people in our assemblies (as no government so far has been able
to eliminate smuggling).
You can easily get foreign
medicines, tea, supari (betel nut), tyres and other goods at prices, which are
up to forty per cent lower than if they were imported legally. Even though
there has been no legal import of supari for over two years, the stuff is available
in plenty throughout the country. Why are cigarette packets available at almost
half the price fixed by the government? While smugglers brazenly flout the law,
local manufacturers are helpless, and thousands of factories have been shut
down as a result.
Ironically, most smugglers
and tax evaders are deeply religious and pious people. They prefer to
contribute millions of their ill-gotten wealth to charity rather than paying
income or sales tax to the government. On the occasion of Eid-al-Azha (festival
of sacrifice), they willingly pay up to three and even four million for a cow
or bull. When you go to these animal bazaars, you’d never guess that in
Pakistan, about half the population goes to bed hungry every night. And if you
tell smugglers that their illegal activities have led to millions of workers
losing their jobs, they simply shrug. “No one can earn more than what the
Almighty has ordained for him. If they are jobless today, that is God’s will,”
they say. A few days back, the Dear Leader said it will take some time to
change the mindsets of the people. Well, he and all vocal ministers can begin
by appealing to the people not to buy smuggled goods. For this, the mullahs
will also have to be taken on board. That won’t be easy, as most mullahs believe
that Custom duty and other taxes are not mandatory, as, in the State of Madina,
only zakat and ushr were imposed to run the administration.
So it’s time for the Great
Khan to take the smugglers and tax evaders head-on. They will not agree to
reveal the National Identity Card Numbers of their suppliers or buyers, because
they buy and sell goods which have been smuggled or on which due taxes have not
been paid. And that brings me to how eliminating smuggling can enable him to
fulfil his promise of providing ten million jobs in the country. This is how he
can do it.
One estimate of the number of unregistered shops and businesses
is six to seven million. These are owned and run by smugglers, tax evaders and
other “worthy” citizens of the country. The Dear Leader can ask the FBR to
seize five million of such shops and businesses and appoint two unemployed men
in each. That would immediately provide ten million jobs, besides providing
billions in tax revenue, which is presently being evaded.
Time
is running out, and the country is slowly sinking due to the virtual collapse
of the economy. If Imran Khan hesitates to take action now, a time may come
when he will be compelled to hand over the FBR to these same smugglers and tax
evaders and ask them to collect six to eight trillion rupees every year to save
the country. Let’s pray that does not happen.
The writer is an engineer, a former visiting lecturer at NED Engineering
College
Post a Comment