MQM vows to protect salaried class’ interests in budget

With just days remaining in the announcement of 2011-12 Budget, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has recommended that the budget should include some relief for the common man.
“It is high time that common man and the salaried class get some relief in the upcoming budget,” said MQM’s Parliamentary Leader in the National Assembly Dr Farooq Sattar on Thursday.
He said this while addressing a press conference regarding the budgetary proposals being recommended by the MQM at the Khursheed Begum Secretariat in Azizabad.
The MQM Coordination Committee Deputy Convener presented the proposals for improvement in various sectors of the economy and said that if injustices and discrimination in the tax system are removed, there is a possibility to optimise available resources.
Speaking about incentives for a common man in the budget, he said the minimum wages should be increased to Rs 10,000 while the salaries of government employees should increase to the extent of inflation rate. For stimulating new investment, industrialisation and generating employment opportunities, Sattar emphasised that the energy crisis prevailing in the country should be addressed on priority basis and the cost of production should be reduced by making gas, electricity and fuel available at reduced rates.
Asserting that peace in Karachi is sine qua non for the country’s stability, he stressed upon the need of improvement in the law and order situation to attract investment.
Speaking about the optimisation of available resources in the country, the federal minister said that an additional Rs 800 to Rs 1,200 billion can be generated through good governance, efficient tax collection, plugging the tax system, eliminating corruption and widening the tax base.
“Every type of income should be taxed without any discrimination as it is necessary for sustainable economic development to broaden the base of direct taxes. The misuse of Afghan Transit Trade should stop forthwith as this single step can generate additional revenue of up to Rs 100 to 200 billion.”
An independent commission should be formed to recover loans that were written off under political influences in the past. Speaking about socio economic reforms, Sattar stressed upon the need for land and agricultural reforms in the country, adding that micro-financing facilities should be available to the poor people to bring about a change in their economic conditions. He also highlighted the need for promoting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for giving impetus to business activity.
The MQM leader called for the creation of National Security Schemes to cover health, education, involuntary unemployment and old age benefits in the light of the vision of a welfare state as seen by the founder of the country Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The budgetary allocations for education and health should be increased to at least 5 percent of the GDP and the prices of petroleum products, gas and electricity rationalised according to the financial status of the consumer.
He also emphasised the need for providing incentives to overseas Pakistanis for smooth and quick transfer for remittances from abroad.
Speaking about the important mega projects in different cities, Sattar said the shortage of water in Karachi should be addressed by increasing the existing water supply from 1,200 cusecs (600 MGD) to 2,400 cusecs (1,200 MGD). The federal government should allocate funds for K-IV water supply project in Karachi for an additional supply of 100 to 150 MGD.
Calling for allocation of funds for mass transit programme and Karachi Circular Railway, he said the work on Karachi and Lahore mass transit programmes should begin at the earliest.
Sattar also proposed that block allocations should be made for special development of the backward areas in southern Punjab and for building small dams, mineral exploration projects and flood-protection schemes in Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and the Northern Areas of the country.