Continuing with pre-budget debate in Punjab Assembly session on Wednesday, the members called for revisiting the import policy for luxury items to cut import bill and suggested the government to introduce one-window tax collection system.
The MPAs also stressed the need for holding census and compiling latest economic data so as to formulate the budget document in a better manner. They also called for masses inclusion in the pre-budget session and earmarking maximum budget for the police training.
Treasury member Asghar Ali Manda suggested greater focus on agriculture and maximum budgetary allocations for this sector to put the country’s economy on right track. Agro Marking Authority having farmers’ representation must be formed to fix crops prices, he added.
Another treasury MPA Amjad Ali Javed suggested the government to ensure medicine procurement on quality basis instead of low pricing. He added that the government made it mandatory for banks to set aside a major chunk of their loans under various heads for provision of interest-free agri loans to growers/farmers.
MPA Waheed Gul called for increasing hospitals’ emergency fee up to Rs 20 so as to improve financial affairs of public sector hospitals, adding that the DMS Emergency be authorized to waive this fee from those, who were unable to pay this.
MPA Hina Pervez Butt said that the Punjab government was working in a better manner, however, conducting of census and compiling of latest economic data was of immense importance in making of budget.
While opposition’s PTI MPA Muhammad Saddique Khan said that immediate measures be put in place to enhance GDP growth rate to pay the country’s entire foreign debt back off.
Taking part in the pre-budget debate, Malik Mazhar Waan said that priorities must be fixed for the budget and expenditure be made accordingly, adding that rural allocations must also be enhanced to release over population pressure from the urban areas.
PTI’s MPA Dr. Noseen Hamid called for conduting pre-budget session in February in future, besides inclusion of people in this session.
Treasury MPA Sheikh Allauddin stressed the need for revisiting the import policy for luxury items to cut import bill and suggested government to introduce one-window tax collection system.
