AAMIR SAEED
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday criticized the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for increasing tax rates and cutting the development funding in the mini-budget.
Speaking on the floor of National Assembly, he said that the government has no economic vision and it has raised tax rates instead of keeping its election promise of reducing the tax rates.
He reminded Finance Minister Asad Umar of his promise to reduce tax rate on sugar that is around 51 percent–Rs 19 per kilogram–adding that tax on powdered milk is 45 percent but this has not been reduced.
Iqbal said the government has levied additional five percent tax on cooking oil, adding that instead of reducing prices of gas and electricity, the government has raised them.
Talking about cut in the PSDP, he said that the reduction of development expenditure will render over 400,000 people jobless. The government has also not clarified so far whether it will get foreign loans or not, he added.
He said the government has also shelved water schemes of millions of rupees in Islamabad and this will impact the poor adversely.
Counting his government’s achievements, he said the PML-N added 12,000 megawatts in the system and eliminated the curse of terrorism as well. He said the foreign direct investment under the PML-N government also increased from $500 million to $3 billion.
About Diamer-Bhasha Dam, he said the government should not start work on it until the financial close as there will be need of at least $7 billion to start the construction work on the project.
Taking part in the budget debate, ex-premier and Pakistan Peoples Party leader Raja Pervez Ashraf said the entire country is concerned over the gloomy picture painted by the finance minister on the current state of economy.
He recounted the efforts made by his party’s government from 2008 to 2013 for the uplift of agriculture sector and strengthening of social safety net. He said that his government also increased the salaries of government employees manifolds and regularized the services of contractual staff.
Responding to a call attention notice, Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi said necessary legislation will be done for protection of children. He also urged provinces to fulfil their responsibility towards this end.
The minister said he is visiting Karachi shortly where he will hold talks with Sindh government for capacity building of police department.
Meanwhile, Shaheen Naz Saifullah of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf took oath as MNA. She has been elected on the seat reserved for women from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
