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08-18-2016, 04:40 AM
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Practice of secrecy amid promise of transparency
ISLAMABAD: The PML-N government has shelved the Practice of publishing tax directory whereas other manifesto pledges about transparency initiatives like the Right to Information bill have **t seen any progress beyond the repeated promises that coincide with the counter-information strategy of blocking access in “public interest”. The publication of the tax started after a ****** of reports by The News unmasking alleged tax evasion by the lawmakers who levy taxes on others, **t paying their own, in a country where, according to former FBR Chairman late Riaz Hussain Naqvi, the poor subsidise the rich through indirect taxes. The tax information was made public for two consecutive years (2013 and 2014), however, this Practice appears to have been abandoned after the release of Panama Papers that named the high and mighty stashing their fortunes abroad while enjoying perks and privileges with impunity in Pakistan. Instead of investigating the owners of offshore companies, Federal Board of Revenue is hesitant to publish the directory lest any finger is pointed towards them for **t contributing their due share to the eco**my through honest tax payment. The directories in previous years were published by April the latest. There is ** effort in sight for tax directory of 2015 when the deadline for filing tax return of the next year is approaching. For more than a month, The News has repeatedly inquired about the FBR intention without receiving any concrete answer. Dr Iqbal, the spokesman, initially said that the publication of directory has been delayed due to engagement on other fronts and that it will be released “within a week”, he later stopped taking calls preempting the repeat of the same question. Text messages also went unanswered. Other than the pressure built in result of ****** on lawmakers’ taxes by The News, the PML-N manifesto had also promised this. “An annual tax directory will be published indicating the taxes paid and assessed in the last 3 years,” reads electoral manifesto of the party that was voted to power in the elections of 2013. The initiative of publicising tax information had made Pakistan the fourth country in the world after **rway, Sweden and Finland to release tax directory, a title being lost without any regret. While the future of public tax information is uncertain, the fate of RTI bill doesn’t appear to be different as government is **t ready to walk the talk as it has been dilly-dallying on it since 2014 by flirting with different ideas to improve the draft. The RTI bill drafted in 2014 for replacing a weak legislation, Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002, has passed through many eyes but stopped short of landing into Parliament that could pass it into law. It was also sent to the international RTI experts for review who declared it the best legislation in the world if adopted. Hence this draft law is an “if” away from bringing Pakistan atop the ranking list as its passage faces awkward delays. The FOI Ordinance 2002, currently in practice, received 78th position in international ranking of 2013. The ruling party’s manifesto reads: “Right to information law based on international best practices shall be passed to give every citizen the right to k**w and to build institutional mechanism to increase access to information.” But in reality, a counter-information strategy is in Practice which is evident that was evident from a directive issued by the Cabinet Division in September last year. It demanded of all the instruments of the executive branch “to immediately exclude from the purview of Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002, under the provisions of Article 8 of this ordinance, all documents and record which if publicised could compromise the public interest.” The directive was issued following a citizen’s demand for information from the Cabinet Division about the nature and details of gifts received by the top-most public ****** holders from foreign dignitaries during the recent years. The Cabinet Division refused to provide this information following which the citizen approached the Federal Ombudsman, which under the law is the appellate authority to challenge such decisions. Incidentally, this information was sought under the Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002, introduced by the then-president Pervez Musharraf, the government had promised to introduce a better law that would promise proactive disclosure and minimum possible exemption. **t only the government is placing restriction on providing information promised under FOI Ordinance 2002, the passage of new RTI law is being delayed under different excuses. More than eight times, the government has publicly assured the passage of the bill but didn’t keep its word. On February 17 last year, Pervaiz Rashid assured the Senate Standing Committee on Information that the bill will be taken up by federal cabinet in the next meeting. It was held on February 23 without the RTI on agenda. A**ther assurance to the Committee was extended by the secretary information on July 2 echoing the same line that the bill will be routed through cabinet in the next meeting. The information minister pledged the same while talking to The News a day before the “next meeting” was held on August 24. It again passed without taking up RTI bill. Change in the government stand that the bill will be tabled before the National Assembly in the “next session” without seeking cabinet’s approval is the only development that has so far taken place. Barrister Zafarullah Khan, Prime Minister’s Special Assistance, pledged on **vember 18 last about tabling the bill in the Lower House during the “next session” that was also prorogued without witnessing any development. As many as four public assurances in this regard were made in the running year without any follow-up. أكثر... ??????? ??????: Practice of secrecy amid promise of transparency || ??????: ahlam1399 || ??????: اسم منتداك
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