HE fourth tax directory of parliamentarians shows a significant surge in the amount of income tax the lawmakers have paid during tax year 2016 from the previous year. It is hard to say if this is because of an increase in their income or the fear of a legal challenge to their qualification as member of an assembly or the Senate under Articles 62/63 of the Constitution.

Indeed, the Supreme Court`s investigations into the wealth and assets of the former prime minister and his family in the Panama Papers case, as well as similar court cases brought against some opposition leaders by their rivals, may have scared many of them former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and PTI leaders Imran Khan and Jahangir Tareen included into paying higher taxes to avoid a challenge to their legitimacy as parliamentarians. And yet, according to the directory, out of the 1,169 members of the Senate and National Assembly, and the four provincial assemblies, some 159 legislators did not bother to even file their tax returns. The non-filers also include half a dozen members of the now dissolved federal cabinet under Nawaz Sharif. Three such former ministers have not filed their returns for the second consecutive year. There are a number of parliamentarians who have paid just a few thousand rupees as income tax. They seem not to have paid tax on their salaries. Or are they are working for free? It is unfortunate that public representatives who have been given powers by their voters to run the affairs of the country and tax their fellow citizens often mis-declare their income to either underpay their taxes or simply not pay at all. Sadly, no action has ever been initiated against (tax) delinquent and non-filer parliamentarians because of political reasons even though the tax collectors know as well as anyone else that the lifestyle and expenditure of a large number of our public representatives do not match the amount of income tax they pay. The Panama Papers probe may have scared some `high-profile` politicians into paying more taxes. Others are left alone because of their potential nuisance value. Who wouldn`t want to retain or win over their loyalty in exchange for a `small favour`? Even those who got Nawaz Sharif disqualified under Articles 62/63 would not want to use these provisions against them. After all, they may require the services of those parliamentarians in the future.