Islamabad:
The Supreme Court examined the process of introducing and approval of the controversial super taxes, and the judges questioned whether parliamentarians were really considering public interest before approved such measures.
A Constitutional Bank of five members headed by Judge Aminuddin Khan resumed when he heard the case on the Super Tax Tax. During the process, Judge Jamal Khan Commandkhail asked about the appropriate procedure to present a bill in Parliament.
The taxpayers’ lawyer argued that policy formulation and tax collection were completely separated domains. “Tax collectors come from FBR [Federal Board of Revenue]whose work is only to collect. The formulation of policies rests with Parliament. If it were a policy manufacturer, you would consult experts to determine whether a measure benefits or damages the public, “he said.
Judge Hassan Azhar Rizvi observed that the members of Parliament were chosen by the people and, therefore, must be aware of their problems. “Have any parliamentarian ever made proposals taking into account public problems? Do the committees discuss the bills or simply approve them as they arrive?” He commented.
The lawyer said that no tax expert has been invited to the National Assembly to assess the impact of a tax. He said that the Minister of Finance has already expressed his support for super taxes, but the level of debate in Parliament does not reach what happens in the committees.
