Lot of work has been done to bring about reforms in FBR: Umar

Finance Minister Asad Umar said on Tuesday that a lot of work has been done to bring about reforms in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), as the participants of a summit highlighted that poor tax collection in the country has been one of the major reasons for low spending on the people. While talking to media persons after speaking at the second day of "Human Resource Development Capital Summit - Shaping the Future," the finance minister said that more measures would be visible to this effect in the next one to two months.
The finance minister said that Pakistan''s economy has long been a victim of ''elite capture'' and Dr Ishrat Hussain has captured this phenomenon in his book.
Responding to a question what the government has been doing to break the stronghold of ''elite capture'' by the group of four identified by the World Bank - military, civil servants, bureaucrats and landlords - the finance minister stated that only way to get rid of elite capture is to bring about openness in the economy, with transparent decision making. "More you will strengthen the Parliament and institutions mechanism of accountability and oversight, more the country would be able to deal with the problem effectively," added the minister.
Replying to another question about a point in the report that military''s security-centred polices are taking more resources from the state and because of this regional integration is facing difficulty, the finance minister said, "If these are the policies of military, it means the government is not playing its role. And if Asad Umar is in power, it''s his responsibility either to own these policies or change them."
The finance minister continued that it is unfortunate that such excuses have been made in Pakistan for quite sometime and those who enjoy the government also blame the military for taking more resources. Asad further stated, "Those in the power should either have faith in these policies and if they don''t, they must change them."
Earlier, addressing the ''Human Resource Development Capital Summit - Shaping the Future'', Asad Umar stated that there is need to remove hurdles hindering economic development and stated that human development and poverty alleviation are top priorities of the government and investment in human development, health and education is the most profitable action in the long run.
Umar said that for the first time the government is integrating the social protection efforts instead of adopting the current fragmented approach. The minister stated that the government is also establishing Public-Private Partnership Authority (PPPA) to work with private sector and mobilise funds for not only infrastructure projects but also for social sector.
Finance Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Teymour Khan Jhagra acknowledged during a panel discussion that tax collection in the country is dismally low and no one would disagree to the need to increase the revenue collection for higher spending on health and education.
Advisor to Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain stated unless the hold of elite is neutralised, real reforms to deal with backwardness can not succeed. "We don''t need to invest money for human resource development but things are required to be effectively managed at different levels," he added. He also underlined the importance to bring about changes at grassroots level to address the inefficiencies of the system.
Acting British High Commissioner Richard Crowder said that Pakistan @ 100 defines the choices that face this country and his country looks forward to working with the people and government of Pakistan till 2047 and beyond. "The UK and Pakistan have stood together for more than seventy years with shared ties of people, history, trade, sport and education," he added.
Head of Department for International Development (DFID) Pakistan, Joanna Reid stated that the report also covered health and nutrition issues faced by women and children in Pakistan. Pakistan continues to have one of the highest stunting rates in the world. Many children do not attend school and those who attend are not being taught the necessary skills to succeed in today''s economy.