Re: Budget 2013
When Daewoo started local bus service in Lahore, I preferred to use it over driving to work. I would still prefer public transport if it is reasonably comfortable. The ghunda gardi by local transporters pushed Daewoo out of the market.
I don’t like the idea of local car manufacturers ‘lobby’ in Pakistan but government should not use it as an excuse to slash import duty on cars either. If you cannot impose fair market regulation, its YOUR fault, not manufacturers. And please do not call those ‘locally manufactured’ cars. They are still mostly ‘assembled’ in Pakistan and most of the profit is transferred out of the country through over invoicing of imported parts. India did not let any car manufacture invest in India till they committed to manufacture 100% in the country. Have you ever seen what kind of cars Indian ministers and generals still use?
My preference would still be to tax luxury cars even more heavily and invest in public transport. Salaried people cannot afford those cars and the ones buying them do not pay income tax anyways. What’s the point of having those huge 4x4s roaming around in cities, apart from ‘dhaak bithana’?
Yes we have too many cars on the roads and our kids would simply choke to death if this continues.