The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) MNA Khawaja Sohail Mansoor on Thursday threatened to return the Sitara-i-Imtiaz conferred on him in recognition of being the nation’s highest tax payer in a symbolic protest against government’s newly launched tax amnesty scheme.
Mansoor made the remarks during a National Assembly (NA) session. He said he had received the award in recognition of his probity.
Mansoor maintained that he had received country’s highest civil award for his honesty in financial details. “A person like I should not venture into business or pay taxes in Pakistan,” he said.
Citing the quick decrease of value of rupee against the dollar, Mansoor said the nation’s fate is in the hands of the select few who are not working in the best interests of the country.
“The value of dollar is increasing yet we are offering amnesty schemes. This will adversely affect the common man. I will return my Sitara-i-Imtiaz tomorrow,” he said.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Safdar Awan advised Mansoor against returning the civil award. “I want to inform him that the amnesty scheme is beneficial for the country,” he claimed. He also suggested the lawmaker to become a part of the committee on the amnesty scheme.
The tax amnesty scheme is a three-month window extended by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for wealthy Pakistanis to whiten concealed local and foreign assets at nominal rates from two to five per cent. The premier recently announced a five-point ‘radical economic reforms package’ to expand the national tax base from 1.2 million to 30 million individuals.
