Unacceptable numbers: Opposition walks out as govt passes Rs658b budget

CM insists opposition had enough time to suggest amendments.

KARACHI:

Even though the opposition members walked out in protest, the Sindh Assembly passed a provincial budget worth Rs658 billion including a finance bill.

The house echoed with shouts of “No” during the session on Saturday, when the government presented the finance bill to enhance and impose certain taxes on property, private security agencies, marriage halls, internet and beauty parlours.

As soon as the session started, law minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro requested speaker Agha Siraj Durrani to take up the finance bill on the agenda. This triggered a series of arguments and counter-arguments between the treasury and opposition benches as their supporters shouted slogans.

MQM parliamentary leader Syed Sardar Ahmed pointed out that a copy of the finance bill was only presented to them at the time of legislation which prevents them from moving any amendment to it. To this, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said that they introduced the finance bill on June 17 when the budget was presented and everyone was given a copy.

Ahmed clarified they were against the new taxes being levied in urban areas. “The people of Sindh cannot bear the burden of more taxes. We want a tax-free budget.”



Ahmed was of the view that people in urban areas are already paying property tax, which has now been enhanced from 20 per cent to 25 per cent. In the last 11 months, the provincial government generated Rs1.3 billion property tax out of which Rs1.2 billion was collected from Karachi alone, he said, adding that only Rs500 million was collected from agriculture tax in the same time period. All the opposition members agreed with Ahmed’s speech and said that people cannot pay any more taxes.

Shah was, however, of the opinion that the new taxes would not affect the common people. “We are collecting property tax on behalf of the local government, which is currently not in place,” he said. Despite the arguments, the law minister insisted the speaker present the bill in the house for voting which led to the opposition walking out in protest. Later, the assembly passed the bill.

The chief minister also announced three-month salaries for the employees of the finance and law departments, and the Sindh Assembly for their hard work during the budget days.

Political victimisation

Earlier, members of Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) protested in the house over political victimisation, accusing the state machinery of killing and harassing political opponents soon after the formation of the new government.

“Soon after we won the elections in Sanghar, the PPP-led government started torturing our workers in the area,” said PML-F’s Imtiaz Shaikh, adding that one of their party workers was killed in Kumb tehsil of Khairpur Mirs while some men have been shooting rocket launchers on their workers. “The chief minister has already announced that he is powerless as the IGP does not pay him any heed. Who will give us protection now?”

PPP’s Manzoor Wassan, who belongs to Khairpur Mirs, responded that these allegations were baseless. “The PML-F gave a strike call and killed three of our people soon after the elections,” he said, adding that the police were unwilling to register cases against PML-F suspects even though the PPP was in power.

“PML-F leader Syed Sadaruddin Shah Rashdi, who is now a federal minister, is directly involved in the murder of our workers,” Wassan alleged. “We want to register a case against him but the police are avoiding it.”

This led to another heated debate in the house, after which the chief minister announced he will conduct an inquiry. “I appoint the Mirpurkhas DIG as an inquiry officer to probe into the incidents in both the districts,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2013.