Government should seriously consider withdrawing one percent increase in General Sales Tax (GST) and bring it down from 17 percent to 15 percent as the hike would create a new wave of inflation and make the common man’s life more miserable said Awami National Party (ANP) Senior Vice President Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel while addressing the business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI).
He said Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar had himself opposed increase in GST as in Senate when PML-N was in opposition, adding that it was strange that after coming into power, he proposed the one percent hike.
He said Senate’s Standing Committee on Finance has unanimously approved 113 recommendations in the Budget 2013-14, which have been sent to the government. He called for incorporation of these recommendations in the Finance Bill 2013 to it people-friendly.
He said every income including agricultural income should be taxed to improve tax collection. He said no one including trade and industry was satisfied with the recent federal budget since it was made in haste. He further said the government should take the business community on board on important policies and assured that he would highlight their issues at relevant forums for resolving the same.
In his welcome address ICCI President Zafar Bakhtawari said being a businessman, Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel always served the cause of business community in politics. He said businessmen should have a group in Senate and National Assembly to resolve their problems and added that Senator Adeel should work for establishing such a group in parliament. He said businessmen are key stakeholders in the economy and the government should engage them in a continuous consultation process while formulating energy, investment, trade and economic policies so that consensus policies could be made to steer the economy out of troubles.
Bakhtawari stressed that the government should come out of the influence of International Monetary Fund (IMF) and make independent policies since IMF dictated policies had always caused a negative impact on business and economic activities. Munawar Mughal, former president ICCI, said chambers of commerce of the country always sent budget proposals to the government, but they were not properly entertained, which was a cause of frustration for the business community. Fazal Elahi, former senior vice president FPCCI, also spoke on the occasion and praised the services of Haji Muhammad Adeel.
