Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday said the country’s economy cannot be stabilised through coercive measures, stressing that genuine reform requires facilitation for taxpayers and greater transparency in revenue collection.

Addressing a ceremony at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) in Lahore, Bilawal said the government must abandon the long-practised “force-first” approach to economic management.

“The economy cannot run on sticks. Tax cannot be collected through fear and pressure,” he said.

Bilawal noted that business confidence improves when taxpayers are supported rather than penalised.

“The economy can recover only when we provide facilities to taxpayers,” he added.

The PPP chairman emphasised that provinces have outperformed the federal government in tax collection since the 18th Amendment, particularly in collecting sales tax on services.

He urged that the collection of sales tax on goods should also be handed over to provinces, arguing that provincial systems have demonstrated stronger results.

He said transparency within the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is essential for restoring trust.

“Tax must feel like a responsibility, not a burden,” he remarked.

Bilawal highlighted PPP’s longstanding ties with the business community and praised its contributions to boosting exports. He said PPP would continue addressing traders’ concerns and incorporate their recommendations in economic policymaking.

Discussing the broader economic challenges, he said resolving fiscal pressures is a shared responsibility of both the federal and provincial governments. He also touched on the long-standing issue of load-shedding, saying the country has been hearing promises about its end since the 1980s.

Bilawal called for a transition towards green energy, noting that the PPP initiated some of the country’s cheapest power-generation projects.

He said the Thar coal power project, operating under a public-private partnership, is supplying electricity from Thar to Faisalabad.

He also supported expanding the 200-unit electricity subsidy to 300 units, saying the burden of cross-subsidies is being shouldered by all consumers and requires a fair review.