AS in the past, the wealth, income and tax details of lawmakers revealed by the ECP have made newspaper headlines and stirred up a spicy debate in the media. These discussions throw up delicious titbits which are readily lapped up by hungry consumers. This is how it has been for the last many years while matters should have moved on from there to a deeper probe of what these ‘revelations’ mean. The talk about money — or in some cases the lack of it — makes for good TV watching. It is quite natural that ‘agitated’ politicians put in the dock by anchors and commentators should react strongly to allegations of tax evasion and illegal asset accumulation that are publicly levelled against them.

In one instance, for example, a lawmaker went on to indirectly accuse the host and his employer of similar financial misdemeanours. Another politician tried to save the situation by suggesting that the matter be left for the Federal Board of Revenue to probe. If any parliamentarian has made a false declaration of his assets and has not paid the required amount on his income or has not filed his tax returns, the FBR should punish him for his actions. Indeed, this is the proper way of turning the exercise of making public representatives declare their assets and tax details into something more meaningful than mere ritual.

But few in the FBR can muster the courage to launch an investigation into the wealth and tax declarations of MPs. Who would want to stir up a hornets’ nest at the cost of his job, although even a cursory look at the declarations of some of the politicians may be enough to expose the discrepancies between their lifestyle and income and assets. Or why would one risk pointing out that one MP’s house in Islamabad’s sector F-7 is priced at Rs1bn while another’s in the same locality is valued at Rs1.6m? The presence of only six billionaires, including the prime minister, in parliament is as puzzling as the number of legislators without cars. The increase in the fortunes of the premier to Rs1.7bn from the Rs261.6m he had declared when he filed his nomination papers for the May polls needs at least an explanation if not a probe. We’re not saying that the lawmakers have made false declarations. The government must, nevertheless, order the FBR to look into their financial details in order to clear their names. This will also give the board a reason to investigate the wealth of other holy cows — generals, judges, lawyers, journalists, businessmen, etc — to discourage future tax evasion.