The Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Friday expressed serious concerns on the impact of powder milk, whey powder and imported meat which are harming the health of local people as well as the interest of farmers.
The 29th Meeting of the Standing Committee on Commerce was held on Thursday in the Parliament House, Islamabad.
The committee considered import of milk, whey powder and meat harming local farmers’ interest; issues relating to decrease of Pakistan’s exports due to smuggling and customs issues and the bill to amend the Trade Organizations Act, 2013.
The representatives of the Ministry of Commerce informed the Committee that custom duty on fresh milk or in powder form is 20%, sales tax 17% and withholding tax is 6%. After the discussion the Committee recommended to increase custom duty to 100% on imported powder milk; however, they exempted this increase of custom duty on imported milk for children.
The committee was also briefed by the representatives of the Federal Bureau Revenue (FBR) on smuggling issues. The committee was informed that the department is taking effective steps to control smuggling on the eastern and western borders of the country. The results are encouraging. The committee appreciated the steps taken by the FBR to control smuggling.
The committee also considered Trade Organizations Act, 2013, and recommended to pass the bill. It recommended extending the tenure of office bearers of Federal and Provincial Trade Organisations to two years instead of the current one.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Commerce, Chairman Siraj Muhammad Khan, MNAs Mian Muhammad Rasheed, Tahira Aurangzeb, Dr Mahreen Razaque Bhutto, Mussarat Ahmad Zeb, Sadia Begum, Fouzia Hameed, Dr Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Kharal, Rana Muhammad Hayat Khan along with senior officials of the National Assembly Secretariat.
Those two items, milk and meat, have even travelled the gallaries of the Supreme Court of Pakitan. But the people of this unfortunate country are still drinking highly polluted milk and eating meat of dead animals. They both have become unaffordable and out of the reach of a common man. Mrs Mumtaz, the only hard-working health Minister of Punjab has confiscated thousands of dead-animal meat in recent months. None else is worried or helping. We have a lot of democracy and progress talks in our TV shows and Jalsas but one has to search own's conscience. Matter of utter shame.
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