Preparing for budget: Khawaja Izharul Hasan threatens to protest if more taxes imposed

Opposition leader meets finance minister to discuss upcoming budget

KARACHI: Opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hasan threatened to protest inside and outside the Sindh assembly if government decides to impose a new tax.

"We have handed over our shadow budget to finance minister who requested us for meeting. I hope that government will consider our proposal giving relief to poor," he said.

He was speaking to the media after separate meetings of finance minister Murad Ali Shah with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) on Tuesday.



The meetings were held as Sindh government started consultations with various parliamentary parties in Sindh Assembly on upcoming budget that is likely to be presented on June 11.

Speaking about the salient features of the next financial year's budget, the opposition leader said that government has also assured them to allocate Rs506 million for the drinking water schemes in the province.

"In the current year, the government had allocated more than Rs150 billion for annual development plan but majority of the schemes have yet to be initiated. It looks government is saving the money rather than utilising the funds," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2016.