As the Upper House of the Parliament resumed general discussion on budget on Wednesday, senators suggested increasing the number of tax payers, particularly the affluent class, and resolving the energy crisis on priority for fluent economic growth.
Participating in the debate, Mushahid Hussain Sayed said the government should give priority to the resolution of energy crisis and broadening the tax net to push up economic growth rate. He proposed bringing the affluent class into the tax net by introducing tax reforms.
He welcomed the increase in the defence budget and said that allocations should also have been made to make National Counter Terrorism Authority operational. He said special allocation may be made in the budget for the martyrs of Army Public School, Peshawar.
Moreover, he said that there should be allocation in the budget for life and medical insurance for journalists, photographers and news cameramen of both print and electronic media, who lose their lives, get injured by bomb blasts or are paralysed for life in the line of duty.
“In Pakistan, the camera is insured but not the cameramen,” he regretted.
Senator Mushahid said that given the threat of extremism and terrorism, and failure to combat this over the last decade, special allocation should be put in the budget for NACTA to prepare a counter terror strategy. “Operation Zarb-e-Azb can only be led to its logical and successful operation through institutional support via NACTA.”
Participating in the budget debate, Ayesha Raza Farooq termed the budgetary proposals for the next fiscal year as “revolutionary and visionary”. She lauded finance minister for presenting “such a balanced and people friendly budget” which focuses on providing maximum relief to the masses.
She said the steps announced in the fiscal budget would help attracting investment and creating job opportunities for the youth. She also lauded incentives for agriculture sector, especially loans for small farmers and waiver of duties on solar tube-wells.
She lauded the increase in taxes on luxury items, gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate, decrease in inflation, increase in foreign reserves and remittances, decision to phase out Statutory Regulatory Order (SROs) and increase in budget of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).
Usman Kakar said that development of backward and less developed areas should be prioritised to bring them at par with the developed one. He said that 7.5 percent raise given to employees in their salaries was not enough and taxes should be levied on landlords.
Mian Muhammad Attique said no amount has been allocated for rehabilitation of sick units. He urged enhancing the capacity of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
Chaudhry Tanveer said government has presented a balanced budget. He appreciated continuation of subsidy being paid to Gilgit-Baltistan on wheat. He said the list of loan defaulters should be made public.
Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif of MQM criticised the budget saying the budgetary proposals were “totally in contradiction with the Constitution, Islam, human rights and international laws”.