friday, 31 December, 2021 i 26 Jamadi-al-awwal, 1443 i rs 15.00 i Vol Xii no 183 i 12 Pages i Karachi Edition
Ruckus in nA As govt tAbles finAnce, sbP bills
f
inAnce Minister Shaukat Tarin on Thursday presented the Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2021 in the national Assembly (nA) amid uproar from the opposition. it is pertinent to note that the bill was originally scheduled to be presented in parliament on Wednesday but the cabinet had rejected it’s approval. in this regard, speaker Asad Qaisar stated that the bill will not be forwarded to the standing committee concerned, as there would be a debate on the bill in the nA, following which the House would vote on it. it merits mention that the bill’s approval is necessary to ensure Pakistan’s sixth review of the $6 billion extended Fund Facility gets cleared by the international Monetary Fund’s executive board on January 12, paving the way for the disbursement of about $1bn tranche. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill 2021 was also presented in the House, which was referred to the relevant standing committee for necessary vetting. Main ProPosaL of thE finanCE biLL: n 17pc uniform sales tax on mobile phones n increasing the federal excise duty on imported vehicles having the engine ca-
pacity of 1,000cc to 1,799cc from 5pc to 10pc, on 1,800cc to 3,000cc vehicles from 25pc to 30pc and on those higher than 3,000cc from 30pc to 40pc n increasing the tax on imported electric vehicles from five per cent to 17pc n increasing the advanced tax on up to 1,000cc vehicles from Rs50,000 to 100,000, on 1,000cc to 2,000cc vehicles from 100,000 to 200,000 and on those higher than 2,000cc from 200,000 to 400,000 n Raising the federal excise duty on locally made vehicles of engine capacity between 1,000 and 2,000cc from 2.5pc to 5pc and on those higher than 2,000cc from 5pc to 10pc n increasing the federal excise duty on locally made double cabin vehicles from 7.5pc to 10pc n Raising the sales tax on imported oil seeds from 5pc to 17pc n increasing the general sales tax on 850cc to 1,000cc vehicles from 12.5pc to 17pc n 17pc tax on products sold in sachets and branded chicken products n 17pc general sales on flour mills n increasing the tax on packed dairy
products from 10pc to 17pc n Withdrawing tax exemption on sugarcane n 17pc tax on import of animals, raw material for pharma products and agricultural seeds n increasing sales tax on batteries from 12pc to 17pc PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said in the last nA session, which was chaired by Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, he had told the chair that there were reports of the government presenting a “mini-budget” in the assembly. “i had said that it will make life more difficult for the people of Pakistan, but the chair had dismissed my concerns,” Ashraf said. “When, in fact, that was the time for the opposition to speak on the matter.” He further complained that when the bill was presented today, even then the opposition was not being heard. The PPP leader also said that in his response to Asif, Umar had not addressed any of the questions and issues raised by the PML-n leader. “He (Umar) failed to satisfy this House,” Ashraf added. He urged the speaker to reject today’s (Thursday’s) proceedings so that opposition and treasury members could present arguments on the matters taken up in the session anew. Speaking on the occasion, PML-n leader Khawaja Asif said: “You’re giving SBP’s control to iMF. Please have mercy on the people of Pakistan. Don’t sell Pakistan. You allowed people to loot the country for three years,” he said, making a reference to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill 2021 — another legislation needed to ensure the disbursement of $1bn tranche by the iMF. He urged the House to not let Pakistan surrender its sovereignty. “Surrendering Pakistan’s economic sovereignty is more dangerous than that of the surrender in 1971,” he said while referring to the east Pakistan debacle. He said the whole nation was ashamed of what was happening in the parliament. news desk
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
at least 4 killed, 15 injured in Quetta blast At least four persons were killed and 15 others injured in a blast near Science college on Quetta’s Jinnah Road on Thursday. The death toll has been confirmed by Balochistan Health Department media coordinator Dr Wasim Baig, soon after the incident. Adviser to the Balochistan chief Minister on Home and Tribal Affairs Mir Ziaullah Langove the explosion was triggered by a remote-controlled device. civil Hospital Quetta Medical Superintendent Dr Javed Akhtar also confirmed to that the death toll from the blast had risen to four and the number of injured to 15. Balochistan chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo expressed dissatisfaction over security arrangements in Quetta, and condemned the incident, terming it an “act of terrorism”. in a statement, Bizenjo said he
was saddened by the loss of lives in the “act of terrorism”, and that those targeting innocent citizens deserved strict punishment. Bizenjo also issued directives for ensuring the provision of proper medical treatment to the injured, further instructing the provincial health minister to oversee the provision of medical treatment to them. The cM also sought a report on the incident and security arrangements in the city from the Balochistan inspector general of police. He also directed the cM’s adviser on interior to review the security plan for the city and make security arrangements more effective. “it is the responsibility of police and security agencies to protect the lives and properties of people. citizens cannot be left at the mercy of terrorists,” he stated. news desk
more inside
KP govt, ECP agree to hold 2nd phase of LG polls in March STORY ON PAGE 03
Pakistan sends 1,800 MT of wheat to Afghanistan STORY ON BACK PAGE