ISLAMABAD:
Opposition parties Tuesday rejected the new budget as anti-people and
alleged it was aimed at promotion and protection of the capitalists and
businessmen interests.
Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah in his reaction alleged that the budget carried no good news for the masses, big figures were shown but the fact was that the federal government has miserably failed to achieve its own targets.
“Finance minister’s speech was based on unrealistic figures and had no connection with ground realities of Pakistan. The government claims to have controlled the inflation whereas prices of onions, tomatoes, potatoes, atta and other commodities are at all time high. Even bananas today are touching Rs200 a dozen,” he noted.
Expressing deep concern over the current situation, Shah said that the security issues were threatening the nation while people continued to live in darkness because of long hours of load-shedding.
Finance Minister Dar mentioned austerity measures in his speech but he forgot that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had 14 official foreign visits to his credit in the first year of his government, he noted. “Austerity begins at home so the government needs to cut its own expenses and provide immediate relief to people,” he said.
The 10 percent ad hoc salary increase, he said, also sounded like a joke when everything was so expensive, adding salary increase should be in balance with ground realities and government seemed to be insensitive about it.
He said that the government had totally failed to meet its own budget targets and was now again setting higher targets which they would never meet. Shah said that it was sad to see that an amount of only Rs10 million was kept for Lyari Expressway while the Karachi Circular Railway also given an insufficient allocation of only Rs250 million.
“PPP believes in equitable distribution of resources and wealth and all cities of Pakistan should be treated equally in terms of development”, Shah said.Other opposition leaders termed the budget speech of Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar as a jugglery of words and statistics and claimed there was nothing in it for the common man.
They contended that linking of GST to electricity bills of big plaza and shopping centres would ultimately be a burden on the consumers, as it would be shifted to them by enhancing prices of goods.
Withdrawal of exemptions on some dairy items, they pointed out, would also be affecting the common man and the increase in tax on compressed natural gas (CNG), mostly used by the lower and middle segments of the society, would also increase its price by at least Rs3 per kilo.
The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Sirajul Haq called the budget as anti-people and alleged the government intended to provide no relief to 95 percent of the total population. “In no way, it is a revolutionary budget and just a traditional budget which serves interests of the 5 per cent elite class,” Sirajul Haq in his immediate reaction to the federal budget, said.
The JI Ameer also regretted a meager 10 percent rise in salaries of the government employees and 10 per cent raise in pensions of retired persons.Siraj also lamented imposition of tax on retailers and dairy product and increase in taxes on the CNG sector. “Such taxation will directly affect the common man,” he said.
Deputy Speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Shehla Raza, who belongs to PPP, in her reaction to the budget, said that the budget was for the interests of industrialists and capitalists. She pointed out already the prices of common kitchen items like pulses and vegetables were sky-rocketing.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MNA Ayesha Gulalai also came hard on the government for presenting a budget that offered no real relief to the masses. She pointed out if the rulers were sincere in giving some relief to the common man, the GST should have been slashed.
The cut in revenue, she contended, could have been made up or even much more would have been pocketed by focusing on 4 million potential persons, who must be brought in the tax net.The legislator from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reiterated that the masses’ money stashed in foreign banks should be brought back to give a push to the national economy.
She contended there was a mechanism to find out whether or not the massive amounts kept in off-shore banks was legitimately earned or otherwise. “Politicians’ reluctance to bring back it to Pakistan clearly indicates they are not ready for audit of it,” she maintained.
Talking to media persons outside the Parliament House, Awami Muslim League President Sh Rashid Ahmad rejected the budget and charged that the government failed to achieve even a single economic target during the out-going financial year.
Independent MNA Jamshaid Dasti also did not appear happy with regards to the budget and alleged that instead of offering relief and breathing space to labourers, capitalists had been given further protection in the budget.
Our correspondent add from Lahore: Awami Workers Party (AWP) has termed the federal budget 2014-15 as a document favouring the corporate sector of the country and carrying very little for the poor.
In a statement issued Tuesday, AWP Secretary General Farooq Tariq stated that human development had almost been ignored and major preference had been given to the infrastructure. He said Rs113 billion had been allocated for construction of roads but for the health sector, an amount of Rs26 billion, quite lesser, had been allocated.
Rejecting only 10 percent raise in the salary of the government employees, Farooq Tariq said at least 50 percent increase should be announced in this regard. He demanded that minimum wage of labourers should be Rs20,000 per month. The AWP leader demanded more allocation for health and education.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) ameer Sirajul Haq termed federal budget as anti people and scripted by IMF, with privileges for the elite class and deprivations for the 95 percent of the masses.
Far from being a revolutionary budget, this is yet another traditional jumble of words that aims at giving false hope to the masses, Sirajul Haq said, adding the rulers believed that masses were speechless and won’t react to the budget. However, he said, it would have been better if the government had announced a pro-poor budget.
JI chief said electricity was the basic requirement of masses and budget proposed an advance tax on every household, which was sheer injustice.
JI Secretary General Liaqat Baloch described federal budget as highly disappointing, especially for the poor workers, womenfolk and pensioners. JUP president Pir Ijaz Hashmi said the budget is a jugglery of words prepared by elite businessmen to plunder the basic needs of the poor. He termed the budget as “anti-poor” which contain heavy privileges for the affluent class while giving nothing to the poor.
JUI-S secretary general Maulan Abdul Rauf Farooqi said those working to please the IMF and World Bank were simply unable to prepare a poor-friendly budget, and any budget from them has to be anti-poor.
Agencies add: All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) has rejected additional taxes imposed on the CNG sector in the budget 2014-15.Additional taxes and double taxation will destroy the limping CNG sector, said Pervaiz Khan Khattak, central chairman APCNGA.
In a statement, he said that government has been collecting over 26 percent sales tax from CNG outlets illegally as the Supreme Court has directed collection of 17 percent sales tax. He said government has been collecting double taxes which will have an impact of Rs3 per kg which will be impossible for CNG owners to absorb. In this scenario an upward revision in the price of CNG has become imperative, said Khattak.
He rejected efforts to provide cover to illegal sales and income taxes in the budget. Pervaiz Khattak said that why prices have been increased when the commodity is not available for the masses.
Price hike can be justified if supply of natural gas is increased to the CNG outlets. National textile industry has outrightly rejected government’s decision of any further increase in gas, electricity tariff, warning that implementation of such would bring country’s industry to edge of virtual destruction.
The chairman All-Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) expressed his strong concerns at the way the largest and shining export industry of Pakistan was suffering due to accursed load shedding; especially more than 10-hours of load shedding in industrial sectors of Punjab and northern areas, forcing these hapless victims to resort to more expensive alternate means of energy, which raised production costs.
He also pointed out that textile industry provided 38% of nation’s employment, which was in danger of suffocation due to this tariff increase of electricity.
PML-Q Punjab has termed the federal budget as one of the biggest fraud with the masses and has announced a protest against it.
Commenting on the budget 2014-15, PML-Q leader Muhammad Basharat Raja said the government of has failed to save the interest of poor. AML head Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has termed the 2014 budget as an IMF-oriented ‘Dar Budget’.
Talking to media outside Parliament House on Tuesday, he berated the budget’s failure to provide for the common man, saying that Ishaq Dar had no talent except that of filling a pile of paperwork. He also expressed his displeasure at the failure of government to provide Altaf Hussain with passport, due to which he thought Hussain was arrested in London.
Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah in his reaction alleged that the budget carried no good news for the masses, big figures were shown but the fact was that the federal government has miserably failed to achieve its own targets.
“Finance minister’s speech was based on unrealistic figures and had no connection with ground realities of Pakistan. The government claims to have controlled the inflation whereas prices of onions, tomatoes, potatoes, atta and other commodities are at all time high. Even bananas today are touching Rs200 a dozen,” he noted.
Expressing deep concern over the current situation, Shah said that the security issues were threatening the nation while people continued to live in darkness because of long hours of load-shedding.
Finance Minister Dar mentioned austerity measures in his speech but he forgot that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had 14 official foreign visits to his credit in the first year of his government, he noted. “Austerity begins at home so the government needs to cut its own expenses and provide immediate relief to people,” he said.
The 10 percent ad hoc salary increase, he said, also sounded like a joke when everything was so expensive, adding salary increase should be in balance with ground realities and government seemed to be insensitive about it.
He said that the government had totally failed to meet its own budget targets and was now again setting higher targets which they would never meet. Shah said that it was sad to see that an amount of only Rs10 million was kept for Lyari Expressway while the Karachi Circular Railway also given an insufficient allocation of only Rs250 million.
“PPP believes in equitable distribution of resources and wealth and all cities of Pakistan should be treated equally in terms of development”, Shah said.Other opposition leaders termed the budget speech of Finance Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar as a jugglery of words and statistics and claimed there was nothing in it for the common man.
They contended that linking of GST to electricity bills of big plaza and shopping centres would ultimately be a burden on the consumers, as it would be shifted to them by enhancing prices of goods.
Withdrawal of exemptions on some dairy items, they pointed out, would also be affecting the common man and the increase in tax on compressed natural gas (CNG), mostly used by the lower and middle segments of the society, would also increase its price by at least Rs3 per kilo.
The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Sirajul Haq called the budget as anti-people and alleged the government intended to provide no relief to 95 percent of the total population. “In no way, it is a revolutionary budget and just a traditional budget which serves interests of the 5 per cent elite class,” Sirajul Haq in his immediate reaction to the federal budget, said.
The JI Ameer also regretted a meager 10 percent rise in salaries of the government employees and 10 per cent raise in pensions of retired persons.Siraj also lamented imposition of tax on retailers and dairy product and increase in taxes on the CNG sector. “Such taxation will directly affect the common man,” he said.
Deputy Speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Shehla Raza, who belongs to PPP, in her reaction to the budget, said that the budget was for the interests of industrialists and capitalists. She pointed out already the prices of common kitchen items like pulses and vegetables were sky-rocketing.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MNA Ayesha Gulalai also came hard on the government for presenting a budget that offered no real relief to the masses. She pointed out if the rulers were sincere in giving some relief to the common man, the GST should have been slashed.
The cut in revenue, she contended, could have been made up or even much more would have been pocketed by focusing on 4 million potential persons, who must be brought in the tax net.The legislator from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reiterated that the masses’ money stashed in foreign banks should be brought back to give a push to the national economy.
She contended there was a mechanism to find out whether or not the massive amounts kept in off-shore banks was legitimately earned or otherwise. “Politicians’ reluctance to bring back it to Pakistan clearly indicates they are not ready for audit of it,” she maintained.
Talking to media persons outside the Parliament House, Awami Muslim League President Sh Rashid Ahmad rejected the budget and charged that the government failed to achieve even a single economic target during the out-going financial year.
Independent MNA Jamshaid Dasti also did not appear happy with regards to the budget and alleged that instead of offering relief and breathing space to labourers, capitalists had been given further protection in the budget.
Our correspondent add from Lahore: Awami Workers Party (AWP) has termed the federal budget 2014-15 as a document favouring the corporate sector of the country and carrying very little for the poor.
In a statement issued Tuesday, AWP Secretary General Farooq Tariq stated that human development had almost been ignored and major preference had been given to the infrastructure. He said Rs113 billion had been allocated for construction of roads but for the health sector, an amount of Rs26 billion, quite lesser, had been allocated.
Rejecting only 10 percent raise in the salary of the government employees, Farooq Tariq said at least 50 percent increase should be announced in this regard. He demanded that minimum wage of labourers should be Rs20,000 per month. The AWP leader demanded more allocation for health and education.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) ameer Sirajul Haq termed federal budget as anti people and scripted by IMF, with privileges for the elite class and deprivations for the 95 percent of the masses.
Far from being a revolutionary budget, this is yet another traditional jumble of words that aims at giving false hope to the masses, Sirajul Haq said, adding the rulers believed that masses were speechless and won’t react to the budget. However, he said, it would have been better if the government had announced a pro-poor budget.
JI chief said electricity was the basic requirement of masses and budget proposed an advance tax on every household, which was sheer injustice.
JI Secretary General Liaqat Baloch described federal budget as highly disappointing, especially for the poor workers, womenfolk and pensioners. JUP president Pir Ijaz Hashmi said the budget is a jugglery of words prepared by elite businessmen to plunder the basic needs of the poor. He termed the budget as “anti-poor” which contain heavy privileges for the affluent class while giving nothing to the poor.
JUI-S secretary general Maulan Abdul Rauf Farooqi said those working to please the IMF and World Bank were simply unable to prepare a poor-friendly budget, and any budget from them has to be anti-poor.
Agencies add: All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) has rejected additional taxes imposed on the CNG sector in the budget 2014-15.Additional taxes and double taxation will destroy the limping CNG sector, said Pervaiz Khan Khattak, central chairman APCNGA.
In a statement, he said that government has been collecting over 26 percent sales tax from CNG outlets illegally as the Supreme Court has directed collection of 17 percent sales tax. He said government has been collecting double taxes which will have an impact of Rs3 per kg which will be impossible for CNG owners to absorb. In this scenario an upward revision in the price of CNG has become imperative, said Khattak.
He rejected efforts to provide cover to illegal sales and income taxes in the budget. Pervaiz Khattak said that why prices have been increased when the commodity is not available for the masses.
Price hike can be justified if supply of natural gas is increased to the CNG outlets. National textile industry has outrightly rejected government’s decision of any further increase in gas, electricity tariff, warning that implementation of such would bring country’s industry to edge of virtual destruction.
The chairman All-Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) expressed his strong concerns at the way the largest and shining export industry of Pakistan was suffering due to accursed load shedding; especially more than 10-hours of load shedding in industrial sectors of Punjab and northern areas, forcing these hapless victims to resort to more expensive alternate means of energy, which raised production costs.
He also pointed out that textile industry provided 38% of nation’s employment, which was in danger of suffocation due to this tariff increase of electricity.
PML-Q Punjab has termed the federal budget as one of the biggest fraud with the masses and has announced a protest against it.
Commenting on the budget 2014-15, PML-Q leader Muhammad Basharat Raja said the government of has failed to save the interest of poor. AML head Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has termed the 2014 budget as an IMF-oriented ‘Dar Budget’.
Talking to media outside Parliament House on Tuesday, he berated the budget’s failure to provide for the common man, saying that Ishaq Dar had no talent except that of filling a pile of paperwork. He also expressed his displeasure at the failure of government to provide Altaf Hussain with passport, due to which he thought Hussain was arrested in London.
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