Wrapping up the general discussion on the Punjab budget for the fiscal year 2011-12, Punjab Finance Minister Kamran Michael asked the federal government to withdraw the General Sales Tax (GST) on agricultural inputs immediately. On the seventh day of the Punjab Assembly budget session on Monday, Michael urged the opposition members to support the provincial government in its bid to end the 17 percent federal tax in the name of GST levied on agricultural inputs as it would effect the province badly. He asked the Punjab Assembly speaker to form a parliamentary committee to investigate the Sasti Roti Scheme, to be supervised by Opposition Leader Raja Riaz.
He said only Rs 11 billion were spent on the scheme and the figure of Rs 70 billion given by the opposition benches was incorrect. Addressing the House, he said the reservations regarding various projects and schemes as well as the financial situation of the province being depicted by the opposition members during their budget speeches were not true, as Punjab was not facing any financial crisis anymore and had gone into surplus under the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
