In session: Pasha defends budget proposals, performance

Says the taxation structure is not regressive

LAHORE: Minister for Finance Ayesha Ghaus Pasha on Wednesday concluded the budget debate in the Provincial Assembly, defending projects launched by the government as models of good governance.

In her speech, the minister shot down most of the reservations expressed by lawmakers during the four-day debate. Leader of Opposition Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed was absent from the House during her speech. Responding to Rasheed’s remarks that a deficit budget had been presented, Pasha said it was indeed a balanced budget - the income and expenditure both stood at Rs1.681 trillion.

Alleged discrepancies in the White Paper for 2015-2016 and the 2016-2017 budget were also dismissed by the minister, who said that the same figures had been depicted in the two documents in two ways.

Speaking on the Orange Line Metro Train project, she said it would benefit the citizens of Lahore. She said the government’s mass-transit projects would benefit the entire province. She said the government had collected Rs150 billion in taxes last year and had a Rs185 billion target for the next year.

“The taxation policy hopes to broaden the tax net and minimise leakages. The taxation structure is not regressive. We will ensure that it does not burden the common man,” she added.

The minister also spoke on the Kissan Package, saying that it provided subsidies and lowered taxes on agriculture inputs.

She said the government also aimed to provide interest-free loans to farmers through the package.

“This is more progressive than what happened in India, where the opposition leader said loans were provided at four per cent interest,” she said.

Pasha addressed concerns raised about under-utilisation of funds in certain sectors, saying the School Education Department had utilised 92 per cent of their allocated.

Pasha said some Opposition members had under-reported the utilisation of funds. Some of them had not taken into account funds released to the district governments, she said.

She also cited similar examples for the health sector.

In the energy sector, she said the government had invested in the Quaid-i-Azam solar park to demonstrate to the private sector that it was a viable investment. “Now that the private sector is interested, the government will privatise it to use the income to invest in some other energy projects,” she said.

With private investment coming in, she said, the energy sector would not be entirely dependent on the government. Earlier, several lawmakers criticised the government for its priorities.

The Orange Line Metro Train, the Ramazan Bazaars and taxation were discussed. MPA Sardar Shahabud Din staged a walkout over what he termed bias in budgetary priorities. He said the south Punjab region had been ignored. Heckling ensued when PTI’s Mian Aslam criticised the government. MPA Bao Akhter threatened to stage a walk out during the exchange. MPAs Waheed Gul and Abdul Razzaq Dhillon tried to take up reports about Qandeel Baloch and Mufti Abdul Qavi.

Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal did not allow them to speak on the subject. The Chair asked Gul to leave the House for 10 minutes for disturbing order in the House.

The session will continue on Thursday when the House will vote for demands for grants

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2016.