Background
SDPI is a policy research institute and the oldest civil
society think tank in Pakistan, which produces knowledge on sustainable
development to enhance the capacity of government and private sector in making
informed policy decisions and to engage civil society on issues of public
interest.
In November 2013, SDPI brought together political
representatives, civil society organizations, business community, media,
academia, and practitioners of economic policy to discuss and form a consensus
around future demands of Pakistan’s socio-economic challenges. The discourse
mainly focused on taxation and energy reforms in Pakistan and intended to serve
as an entry-point for debate on inclusive economic governance.
This symposium was appreciated by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar
in his speech to the civil society and media representatives on 12th
December 2013. Furthermore, Minister for
Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal deputed the Chiefs of economic
sections in Planning Commission to attend the daylong proceedings and carry the
input for the under formulation Vision 2025.
SDPI’s research team also concluded briefing papers on
people’s perceptions about economic reforms, future of taxation regime in
Pakistan, and energy sector reforms appraisal (Annex A and B). These papers
forwarded to the participants at the time of invitation provided a basis for
structured discussion during the symposium. A detailed description of speakers
and discussants at the symposium may be seen in Table 1. The agenda was
carefully implemented so that the audience could be allowed sufficient time for
open discussion after each session.
There was wide media coverage of the symposium, as it addressed
the current issue of tax and energy right after the inception of the new
government in October 2013. SDPI tried to maintain a momentum through its
follow-up report, ‘Taxation by Misrepresentation’ (weblink: http://ow.ly/tbPAI).
This report published the official tax records of the parliamentarians in
federal and provincial assemblies. It was well-received by the government and
the Finance Minister directed his team to publish (on annual basis) tax directory
of all parliamentarians. Furthermore, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) was directed
to issue NTN numbers to all those parliamentarians who had not yet accomplished
this obligation.