KARACHI: In a letter to Chairman of the Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue Syed Naveed Qamar, the Pakistan Tax Bar Association (PTBA) has expressed serious concerns over the use of taxpayers’ money and called for the establishment of a high-powered oversight committee to monitor government spending.
PTBA criticized unchecked government expenditure amid declining tax revenues and a shrinking national exchequer. The association highlighted specific areas of concern, including large official foreign delegations, rising non-development expenditures, and recent salary revisions for government employees.
“The taxpayer’s money is being used with no concern,” wrote PTBA President Anwar Kashif Mumtaz and General Secretary Mohammad Rehan Siddiqui in the letter.
The proposed oversight committee would have broad authority, requiring its approval for various expenditures, such as foreign delegation expenses and salary increases for government employees.
The PTBA also stressed the importance of transparency in development projects, suggesting that every project should clearly outline the amount of taxpayer money involved and the expected public benefits.
Citing Article 19A of the Constitution, the PTBA’s letter proposed the formation of a national-level committee that would enable taxpayers to have direct oversight of public spending.
