Islamabad: The World Bank has directed Pakistan to make personal income tax equal for salaried and non-salaried classes and remove loopholes in the general sales tax system and tax the tobacco industry at a single premium rate.

The World Bank has also recommended that all types of regulators should be brought under one big body and under a centralised system to improve coordination between the center and the provinces instead of adopting a fragmented approach.

A World Bank estimate shared with participants at a conference titled "Urgent Reform Agenda: Beyond the IMF" revealed that the total contribution of general sales tax to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) currently stands at 2.7 percent. And if all kinds of reduced taxes and exemptions and other loopholes are removed, it has the potential to become 6.53 percent of the Gross National Product (GNP).

The World Bank also suggested that introducing a single premium rate of federal excise duty on tobacco would increase the share of tax revenue from the tobacco industry in the GNP from 0.19 percent to 1.09 percent. It is said that the tax collection may increase from 1000 billion.

On the other hand, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) Vice Chancellor (VC) Dr. Nadeem-ul-Haque said that the reform agenda is not only about tax, that Pakistanis are not tax cheats. The colonial institutions are continuing their illegitimate power through weird laws, which basically do not allow the markets to function smoothly.

Ottawa: Canadian police on Friday arrested and charged three Indian men with the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year and said they were probing whether the men had ties to the Indian government.

Nijjar, 45, was shot dead in June outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population. A few months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited evidence of Indian government involvement, prompting a diplomatic crisis with New Delhi.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police named the three men as Karanpreet Singh, 28, Kamalpreet Singh, 22 and Karan Brar, 22.

"We're investigating their ties, if any, to the Indian government," Mandeep Mooker, an RCMP superintendent, told a televised news conference.

The Indian mission in Ottawa did not respond to requests for comment.

Nijjar was a Canadian citizen campaigning for the creation of Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland carved out of India. The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long frustrated New Delhi, which had labeled Nijjar a "terrorist".

Last week the White House expressed concern about the reported role of the Indian intelligence service in assassination plots in Canada and the United States.

The three individuals charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in relation to the murder in Canada of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh in 2023, are seen in a combination of undated photographs released by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).

Canadian police said they had worked with US law enforcement agencies, without giving additional details, and suggested more detentions might be coming.

"This investigation does not end here. We are aware that others may have played a role in this homicide and we remain dedicated to finding and arresting each one of these individuals," said Assistant RCMP commissioner David Teboul.

The trio, all Indian nationals, were arrested in the city of Edmonton in Alberta on Friday, police said. They are due to arrive in British Columbia by Monday.

Trudeau announced in September that Canadian authorities were pursuing allegations linking Indian government agents to the murder. New Delhi rejected Trudeau's claim as absurd.

"We welcome the arrests but this does lead to a lot more questions," said Balpreet Singh, legal counsel and spokesperson for the Canada-based World Sikh Organization advocacy group.

"Those who have been arrested are part of a hit squad but it's clear that they were directed," he said by phone.

Canada had been pressing India to cooperate in its investigation. Last November, US authorities said an Indian government official had directed the plot in the attempted murder on US soil of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist and dual citizen of the US and Canada.

SOURCE: REUTERS

London: The results of the local elections in the United Kingdom have come out, according to which the Labor Party won the battle while the ruling party faced its worst defeat.

According to foreign media reports, during the local elections in the United Kingdom, the Labor Party came first with the success of 102 councilors in 102 constituencies, while the ruling Conservative Party has won 479 councilors in only five constituencies.

With results from 102 councils in 107 received, the Liberal Democrat Party came second with 505 councilors in nine constituencies, 224 independent candidates while the Green Party's 107 councilors were declared successful.

On the other hand, Labor Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said that the results have sent a clear message to the Conservative Party that the people of Great Britain are fed up with Rishi Sunak and his poor policies.

Four of the 11 mayoral seats are up for grabs, with Labor winning in the North East, East Midlands, York and North Yorkshire, while British Pakistani mayor Sadiq Khan's future will be decided today.

The British Prime Minister accepted the defeat and said that he was disappointed with the victory of the Labor Party, he will focus on his work as a political leader in the future, it is a pity to lose a hardworking and working councilor.