KARACHI, Sept 18: Federal Minister for Law, Human Rights and Parliamentary Affairs Dr Khalid Ranjha on Wednesday hoped that there would be no discord and acrimony between the future legislative assembly and President Musharraf over major constitutional amendments introduced by the government.

“However, the parliament being a sovereign entity, will have the prerogative to make unanimous amendments to the Constitution that also includes Article 8-2(b), which allows president to dissolve governments”, he said.

“The government has no authority to restrain them from pursuing their desired objective” he said while talking to newsmen during his visit to the Pakistan Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) here.

Replying to a question, he said it would be wrong to presume that the next legislative assemblies would be required powers like previous assemblies. They would continue their normal working without facing interference from any quarter in this regard, he added.

When his attention was drawn towards the confession of some candidates that they had surpassed limit of Rs1 million expenditure set by the Election Commission of Pakistan, he said the commission would decide on the issue.

Earlier, addressing the businessmen, Dr Khalid Ranjha asked the FPCCI officials to play their role in educating the members that tax avoidance was everyone’s right but tax evasion was a universal crime.

He suggested the FPCCI to form a body on law which might comprise members from legal profession, having clear understanding of commercial and industrial laws, to suggest specific amendments to the existing legislation for immediate consideration by the government.

Special resolutions for making taxation laws simplified had not served the purpose. Now the FPCCI should submit a draft law to the government for vetting by the ministries concerned, he added.

The minister admitted that the Federal Budget and Finance Bill were “very complicated” documents, beyond comprehension of lawyers, and added that the government unofficially consulted the Tax Bar Association before announcing the budget.

Dr Ranjha said the government of President Musharraf accorded special position to the FPCCI as he wanted to empower the industrial sector. He termed businessmen backbone of the national economy and ambassadors of the country.

About the documentation of economy, he said the agriculture sector was fully documented, adding that it was different from tax payment which always remained a cause of concern for taxpayers everywhere in the world.

He invited the FPCCI to give its input and consultation to the law ministry in making business-and-investment-friendly laws. He underlined the need for developing agro-economic thinking in businessmen by taking maximum advantage of the corporate agriculture.

Earlier, speaking at the forum, FPCCI President Iftikhar Ali Malik said that the ambiguity in taxation laws gave discretionary powers to the tax officials, which remained a major impediment in the way of expansion of trade and economic activity in the country.

He suggested that the Ministry of Law should simplify taxation laws and remove those clauses which gave discretionary powers to the tax administration and bureaucracy.—PPI