Pakistan, Jan. 24 -- In the last week's column, it was promised that till February 15, 2021, deadline set by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), for seekingproposals from all stakeholders, some concrete measures will be suggested rather than "meaningless amendments in tax codes, imposing moreobligations on citizens as withholding tax agents,with no policy shift and administrative reforms". Today's column is confined to challenging the very jurisdiction of FBR to seek tax proposals and prepare Finance Bill, which is none of its business. In fact, it amounts to flagrant violation of the Constitution of Islamic Republic [The Constitution].

Pakistan needs to move towards fair and simple tax system that can yield sufficient resources for the ...