Hardly one year ago, an irate Imran Khan was criticising an amnesty scheme introduced by the then government calling it a “brazen amnesty by Prime Minister Abbasi to save criminals.” He went on to say that the policy amounted to adding to the burden of the honest taxpayer for whom he said it was a “slap in the face”. His cash-strapped government is now poised to launch an Assets Declaration and Amnesty Scheme of its own for immediate implementation. To their credit, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government, had brought its scheme to the parliament for a debate. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, which never tired of criticising its predecessors for bypassing the parliament, is said to be preparing to introduce the amnesty scheme through a presidential ordinance. Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar, however, says it is up to the finance minister to decide whether the scheme should be launched through a a presidential ordinance or moved as a bill. There can be no two opinions that the best course will be to take the scheme to the parliament for a thorough debate. The government will then have the advantage of access to several points of view. That is how parliamentary democracies work and flourish. True, the government is desperately cash-starved; true, a presidential ordinance is the quickest way to put the plan into action. The scheme can later be passed by the parliament as part of the Finance Act 2019-20. The government is making a good case for the amnesty scheme in the face of national and international economic slowdown. In its first nine months, the government is Rs 318 billion short in tax collection. The government is now pinning its hopes on the amnesty scheme. It expects the beneficiaries to declare assets and pay taxes by June 30. Only time will tell whether the tax evaders take this scheme seriously or not. Government after government has come up with a scheme of the kind and called it the ‘last chance’ for black money to turn white. The latest ‘last chance’ aims at declaration and reporting of undisclosed assets, sales and incomes “for a fresh start of tax compliant economy”. The scheme calls for declaration of benami assets, undisclosed assets (both domestic and foreign), sales and incomes on or before June 30, 2018 with tax rates ranging from 5-10pc (with certain exceptions). Holders of public office (and their families) since January 1, 2000; those having proceeds from the commission of a criminal offence or cases pending before a court of law are not eligible. The 2018 amnesty, availed by 82,889 people, had raked in Rs 124 billion in taxes. The incumbents, facing a shortfall of Rs 318 billion in tax collection, can avoid loss of face by surpassing the mark. *