News
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Lawmakers’ asset statements challenged in Supreme CourtStaff Report
ISLAMABAD: A constitutional petition challenging the asset statements filed by the members of parliament before the Election Commission was filed in the Supreme Court on Friday.
The petition was filed by Sikandar Hayat Khan advocate under Article 184(3) of the constitution, which made the Federation of Pakistan the respondent through the Revenue Division secretary and the Federal Board of Revenue chairman.
Citing media reports which claimed that certain politicians and their families have ‘amassed’ huge assets, the petitioner said the issue demanded due scrutiny by the tax authorities, who alone had the expertise to clarify the impression in the larger public interest.
From the media reports, Hayat stated, it seems that the assets amassed by politicians, their wives and dependent children were either not subjected to scrutiny by various tax authorities or were highly understated.
The petitioner sought the correct evaluation of the amassed assets of the politicians and their families, stating, “In the absence of correct evaluation, the burden of existing taxpayers is increased because they are subjected to higher rates of taxation with a view to filling the gap between what they pay and what they ought to be paying.”
A former EC official told Daily Times that the declaration of assets made by elected MPs have proved to be a ‘futile exercise’, as faulty provisions did not empower the EC to examine the written statements, thus enabling the members to go unpunished.
According to EC Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan, there is no legal procedure for the EC to evaluate the assets and liabilities of parliamentarians.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk