Islamabad, February 18; Through the first Pre-Budget Public Consultation, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue received proposals from various experts on expanding the Tax Base in Pakistan especially in the context of the upcoming Federal Budget 2010-2011.

The experts who recorded oral evidences/recommendations to the Committee included Senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, Chairman, Senate Standing Committee on Commerce and former President, Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI); Dr. Fazal Hussain, Head of Research / Fiscal Policy Division, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Islamabad; Mr. Muhammad Sabir, Principal Economist, Social Policy and Development Centre (SPDC), Karachi; Mr. Muhammad Abdullah Yusuf, Vice President (North), Institute of Chartered Accountants Pakistan (ICAP), and former Chairman Federal Board of Revenue; Mr. Mushtaq Ahmed Madraswala, Executive Director, Institute of Cost and Management Accountants Pakistan (ICMAP) and Dr. Ather Maqsood Ahmed, Professor of Economics / Head of Social Sciences Department, National University of Science And Technology (NUST), Islamabad.

Opening the consultation, Mrs. Fauzia Wahab, MNA (NA-312, Sindh-V, PPPP) and Chairperson National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance & Revenue welcomed the experts and observers including Parliamentarians and said that the Committee�s initiative to hold public consultation was to further improve interaction between the people and the Parliament and to establish the tradition of eliciting public input and ownership of country's fiscal and financial priorities by the elected representatives. She said that the Federal Cabinet�s decision of February 10 to present Budget proposals to Parliamentary Committees by May 2010 to allow in-depth budget review and input by Parliamentary Committees was a triumph of efforts of all Parliamentarians over the years to reform the Parliamentary Budget Process. She acknowledged the efforts of PILDAT, especially in sensitising Parliamentarians towards the need of the reform of Parliamentary Budget Process as well as providing comparative perspectives and information in this regard. She also acknowledged PILDAT�s support in facilitating the pre-budget public consultation in association with the Parliamentary Centre, Canada.

Members of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance & Revenue who were part of the consultation included Mr. Abdul Rashid Godil, MNA (NA 252 Karachi XIV, Sindh, MQM); Mr. Aftab Shaban Mirani, MNA (NA 202 Shikarpur I, Sindh, PPPP); Mr. Arif Aziz Sheikh, MNA (NA-183 Bahawalpur-I, Punjab, PPPP); Mrs. Kashmala Tariq, MNA (NA-302, Punjab-XXX, PML); Khawaja Mohammad Asif, MNA (NA-110, Sialkot-I, Punjab, PML-N) and Mr. Riaz Fatyana, MNA (NA-94, T.T.Singh-III, Punjab, PML).

Parliamentarians from PML-N, PPPP, MQM and ANP participated as observers in the Consultation alongside representatives of business, markets, trade associations, academics and the media.

PILDAT facilitated the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue to hold the Pre-Budget Public Consultation. This support and facilitation has been provided under Parliamentary and Political Party Strengthening Project in association with the Parliamentary Centre, Canada and the support of the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.