Heckles greet controversial bills in NA

MQM calls RGST, flood surchage bill last nail in economy's coffin; PML-N calls it a recipe for complete disaster.


Express November 13, 2010

ISLAMABAD:


The government on Friday presented to the parliament two separate bills aimed at reforming an ‘outdated’ taxation system and levying one-time surcharge to rebuild flood-hit areas amid renewed threats by its allies and opponents to fail the move.

There were clear doubts about the passage of both the Reformed-General Sales Tax (R-GST) and flood surcharge bills as another government ally refused to support them immediately after their presentation to the National Assembly and the Senate.

Following Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), it was Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) of Maulana Fazlur Rehman that announced not to vote in favour of the legislation the government was under pressure to carry out to meet a demand of international donors.

“It is like killing people. We cannot support this bill,” JUI-F’s Maulana Ghafoor Haideri said in the Senate in the latest blow to the government’s efforts to seek the approval of the bills.

With this, the Awami National party (ANP) and lawmakers from the tribal areas were the only remaining supporters of these legislations but their votes would not be enough to give the administration a numerical majority in both the houses.

Members from opposition parties – N and Q factions of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) – and MQM were instantly on their toes to chant slogans and thump desks as soon as Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh introduced the bill to the National Assembly.

“No, no” and “anti-people GST unacceptable” were the slogans they chanted to send the house in a chaos in the presence of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani who later manoeuvred to calm down the hyped tempers but even his words remained ineffective.

Gilani thought it was unfair that all the parties and provinces which had earlier agreed on the R-GST in a high-powered Council of Common Interests (CCI) were now turning against it.

“I summoned all the four provincial ministers and all of them unanimously approved,” he said.

Only the Sindh government, the premier added, had reservations on the bill but those were addressed in a long round of negotiations between the central and provincial authorities over a span of six months.

The premier warned that the government might not have enough resources to undertake  a daunting task of rehabilitation of flood affected areas if the bill was not taken through the parliament immediately.

Earlier, central leader of the MQM and Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Dr Muhammad Farooq Sattar said, “This bill will amount to striking the last nail in the coffin of Pakistan’s economy.”

Opposition leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also said his party and the rest of opposition groups would never let the government take the bill through the parliament at any cost.

Later a statement by Nisar’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said: “Our party, in unison with other political groups, will not allow this tax to be enforced because the R-GST is a recipe for a complete economic disaster.”

“A boost in revenue generation is possible only after all the openings of corruption are plugged and the economy reprioritized with the welfare of the people placed on the top of national agenda,” PML-N Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13th, 2010.

Read the complete RGST bill here.

COMMENTS (9)

Ahmer Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Assalam-o-Allaikum Warahmatullah.Present corrupt,beggars and NRO certified now have been completely under pressure by IMF to impose RGST on the nation to get next installment of loan and are facing strong resistance from the opposition parties in National Assembly and also in Parliament as well.In other words the nation shall see its real well-wisher and friends to whom they elected in general elections by votes and gave them the authority to make decisions for Pakistan and the whole nation while sitting in the National Assembly and Parliament,And for our corrupt,NRO certified and beggars leaders time has come to take definitive steps to show that either they are really sincere and honest for the nation to give it relief or they follow IMF's brutal and cruel laws to make the whole nation's life more difficult,problematic,disturbed and mentally disordered and the whole nation also shall see the real relief claimers' (PML-N & PML-Q) face for the whole Pakistani nation and Pakistan's economy.
Afzal Ali | 13 years ago | Reply The bill that was introduced in the assembly yesterday is : General Sales Tax there is NO Reformed in it. This bill is 98% same as VAT bill Who is the government trying to fool.? This tax will cripple the economy and put additional burden in the citizens.GST will further tax the over taxed people....and those who are not paying taxes will continue not paying taxes. The biggest problem is FBR; they do not have the capacity to administer this complex tax.They do not have the robust IT infrastructure that is needed. Look at the mess FBR created this year in respect of Income Tax: the date of filing of returns was increased from 30August 2010 till 30 October as their IT system could not handle the e-filing of returns. Those who are opposing the levy of this tax will be remembered and people will remain grateful to them for taking pro people stand : hats off to PML(N),MQM,PML(Q) and ANP for opposing this tax. PPP we will remember you at times of election.............
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