Riaz Fatyana while participating in the debate on budget in National Assembly welcomed reduction in the GST rate and suggested the government to reorganize the Federal Bureau of Revenue to make the revenue collection system more effective and efficient.
He said the government should focus on hydel projects to generate cheap electricity.
He said the government should redesign the Kala Bagh dam in consensus with the provinces and use it only for the electricity generation and not for irrigation purposes.
Sardar Mehtab Abbassi urged the government to revisit its foreign policy that serves the interests of the country. He voiced concerns over non implementation of unanimous resolutions passed by the parliament for the national security.
Syed Asif Hasnain said that all the sectors including agriculture should be brought into the tax net to overcome the economic crisis. He demanded reduction in markup rate for the promotion of the industrial sector.
Dr. Attiya Inayatullah said the federal government should sit with the provincial governments and evolve a strategy to achieve macro economic stability. She said it is also need for a paradigm shift in the energy sector to meet the growing electricity demand. She said we should not do politics on the construction of Kalabagh Dam as this dam Diamir Bhasha is important for our water security. She suggested the government to make minimum assets tax part of the budget besides bringing the real estate sector into the tax net to make an incremental increase in the tax net.
Khawaja Muhammad Khan Hoti said that the budget envisages no incentives for the poor segments of the society. He came harsh on the government for not implementing the recommendations of Pay and Pension Commission which is a great injustice to the working class.
Hanif Abbasi said the government has failed to deliver and resolve the problems of the people in its three and a half year term. He suggested the government to tax those persons who are investing in capital markets and the real estate sectors.
Mehreen Anwar Raja rejected the opposition’s criticism on the performance of the government saying that opposition should demonstrate maturity and give proposals for addressing the challenges faced by the country. Welcoming the increase in the salaries and pensions of government employees, she said that the allocation for the BISP should be further enhanced.
