PPP MNA Kasim Gillani has proposed including elected representatives on the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Board, arguing that Pakistan’s tax policies are formulated largely by bureaucrats with limited parliamentary input.

His remarks come after months of debate over withholding taxes on digitally enabled services and cashless transactions, including levies collected through the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

In a post on X on Thursday, Gillani invoked the principle of “No taxation without representation,” saying that his engagement with Parliament and the FBR over the past six months had convinced him that lawmakers play only a marginal role in shaping tax policy.

According to Gillani, most tax proposals are prepared within the bureaucracy, while members of Parliament are only able to review them during the committee stage, when major policy decisions have already been taken.

He said he would push for parliamentary representation on the FBR Board so elected lawmakers can participate in tax policymaking from the beginning rather than after proposals are finalized.

“If Parliament represents the people, it must also have a voice where tax policy is formulated,” Gillani wrote, adding that taxpayers deserve representation in the institutions where tax decisions are made.

Gillani has consistently criticized the PTA-administered withholding tax regime in recent months, calling for relief for taxpayers and stronger parliamentary oversight of taxation. His latest proposal seeks to give Parliament a formal role in the country’s highest tax policymaking body.