The Supreme Court on Thursday scrutinised the process of introducing and approving the controversial super tax, with judges questioning whether parliamentarians were truly considering public interests before passing such measures.
A five-member Constitutional Bench headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan resumed hearing the case about the levy of super tax. During the proceedings, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail asked about the proper procedure for tabling a bill in parliament.
The counsel for the taxpayers argued that policymaking and tax collection were entirely separate domains. "Tax collectors come from the FBR [Federal Board of Revenue], whose job is only to collect. Policymaking rests with parliament. If I were a policymaker, I would consult experts to determine whether a measure benefits or harms the public," he said.
Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi observed that members of parliament were elected by the people and therefore must be aware of their problems. "Has any parliamentarian ever made proposals keeping public issues in mind? Do committees debate bills, or simply pass them as they arrive?" he remarked.
The counsel maintained that no tax experts have ever been invited to the National Assembly to evaluate the impact of a tax. He said the finance minister has already voiced support for the super tax, but the level of debate in parliament falls short of what occurs in committees.
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