Book Description

Britain enjoys a close relationship and has long established ties with Pakistan which has real poverty and serious security problems. But the Committee is concerned that not enough tax is raised in Pakistan to fully finance improvements in the quality of life for poor people. Accordingly, the UK Government is called to: work with other donor countries to encourage joint and concerted efforts to require progress on tax policy and revenue collection within Pakistan; use its influence within the International Monetary Fund to ensure this key institution also presses for urgent reform of Pakistan's tax system; support a nationwide, strategic communication plan within Pakistan to explain the need and benefits of tax policy change and to build domestic political momentum for reform. Furthermore, it is vital for Pakistan, and its relations with external aid donors, that it provides clear evidence that it will own and implement an effective anti-corruption strategy. DFID must likewise set measurable targets against which to measure and confirm positive impacts arising from effective investment in anti-corruption measures. In more detailed comments, the value delivered by the DFID Maternal and New-born Health Programme is acknowledged but scepticism is expressed about recent efforts to 'scale-up' at a provincial level. Closer to home, the Committee also calls on UK DFID to explore innovative ways to work more closely with the UK Pakistani diaspora, to improve their participation in monitoring DFID projects and, where appropriate, to align diaspora funding and remittance flows to Pakistan with DFID supported programmes.