Tax on rented property: Minor amendment in bill puts PPP, MQM at loggerheads

MQM leaders claim bill aimed at imposing tax only in urban areas


Our Correspondent February 15, 2016
MQM leaders claim bill aimed at imposing tax only in urban areas. PHOTO: PPI

KARACHI: A minor amendment in a bill led to a war of words between Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) MPAs during the Sindh Assembly session on Monday.

Senior parliamentary affairs minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro had moved the 'Sindh Service Tribunal (Amendment Bill), 2016' in which he wanted to replace the words 'rented or moveable property' with 'moveable rented property'.

MQM parliamentary leader Syed Sardar Ahmed said that, through this amendment, the government's intention was to impose the tax on rented houses in urban areas, which is not acceptable to his party. "This law has already been passed to impose the tax on commercial properties but there was little error which we want to correct," said Sindh finance minister Murad Ali Shah.

Opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hasan became emotional. "Syed Sardar Ahmed has played a role in passing the NFC awards and you are underestimating him and imposing a law of your own will," he told Shah, adding that the provincial government has exceeded the record of corruption by embezzling around Rs900 billion in the last seven years.

Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani intervened. "You should talk on the bill rather than levelling allegations of corruption," he said. "The opposition leader's attitude is biased. He should not talk on irrelevant issues here," said Khuhro. He requested the speaker to take up the bill clause by clause. After getting permission, the assembly passed the bill amid the protests by MQM lawmakers.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16th, 2016.

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