NA session: Revisit petroleum levy move, Shah tells govt
Asks PML-N to take parliament into confidence on Shikarpur incident
Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah. PHOTO: PID
ISLAMABAD:
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah on Tuesday heaped scorn at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led government, singling out its mishandling of the petroleum crisis and imposition additional general sales tax (GST) on petroleum products.
“The government has been compensating the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) tax collection deficit from the GST on petroleum products,” Shah said. “Twenty-seven per cent tax on petroleum products is unjustified and the government should revisit the decision.”
In his address to parliamentarians before the National Assembly, Shah said the PML-N had been critical of GST imposition on petroleum products when the Pakistan Peoples Party was in power.
“But now the PML-N-led government has increased the tax by 10 per cent without taking parliament into confidence,” Shah said. “The government has been collecting some Rs120 billion in different taxes on petroleum products and it should announce relief for the public instead of taxing it,” he added.
Turning to the energy crisis, he said the government has failed to draw up with any comprehensive strategy to overcome the crisis.
He said the Supreme Court took suo motu action on LNG imports during the PPP government and ultimately the project was stalled.
“Due to proceedings in the apex court, the contract with a French company to import the LNG was cancelled,” he said, adding that the PPP’s opponents failed to establish allegation of Rs100 billion corruption in the project.
“The suo motu action pushed the country into darkness. Everybody either in parliament or outside has been pushing the poora gainst the wall,” he said.
Khursheed Shah also urged the government to lower electricity rates following lowering of fuel prices in the international market. He said despite selling electricity at exorbitant rates, the government has failed to overcome excessive load-shedding.
“The government should take steps to provide cheap electricity to people as the price of petroleum products has gone down significantly in the last few months,” he said.
Shikarpur blast
The main opposition leader also criticised the government for not taking parliament into confidence on the Shikarpur attack in which dozens of people were killed while offering Friday prayers.
“Neither the prime minister nor any member of the cabinet visited the bereaved families to express sympathy with them,” Shah said. He particularly targeted Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and said he did not even condemn the terror incident.
“The prime minister or interior minister should inform the nation about the kind of steps being taken to deal with the menace of terrorism,” he added.
The house was later adjourned till Wednesday (today) after Shah pointed out that the concerned ministers were not present in the house to listen to the opposition on petrol and energy crises.
Earlier, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had left the house after opening the debate on petroleum shortage.
During his brief address, Abbasi said: “Learning a lesson from the petrol shortage last month, the government has now built up required stocks, which is evident from the fact that no shortage was reported on February 1, when three times more petrol was consumed due to reduction in its prices’.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 4th, 2015.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah on Tuesday heaped scorn at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led government, singling out its mishandling of the petroleum crisis and imposition additional general sales tax (GST) on petroleum products.
“The government has been compensating the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) tax collection deficit from the GST on petroleum products,” Shah said. “Twenty-seven per cent tax on petroleum products is unjustified and the government should revisit the decision.”
In his address to parliamentarians before the National Assembly, Shah said the PML-N had been critical of GST imposition on petroleum products when the Pakistan Peoples Party was in power.
“But now the PML-N-led government has increased the tax by 10 per cent without taking parliament into confidence,” Shah said. “The government has been collecting some Rs120 billion in different taxes on petroleum products and it should announce relief for the public instead of taxing it,” he added.
Turning to the energy crisis, he said the government has failed to draw up with any comprehensive strategy to overcome the crisis.
He said the Supreme Court took suo motu action on LNG imports during the PPP government and ultimately the project was stalled.
“Due to proceedings in the apex court, the contract with a French company to import the LNG was cancelled,” he said, adding that the PPP’s opponents failed to establish allegation of Rs100 billion corruption in the project.
“The suo motu action pushed the country into darkness. Everybody either in parliament or outside has been pushing the poora gainst the wall,” he said.
Khursheed Shah also urged the government to lower electricity rates following lowering of fuel prices in the international market. He said despite selling electricity at exorbitant rates, the government has failed to overcome excessive load-shedding.
“The government should take steps to provide cheap electricity to people as the price of petroleum products has gone down significantly in the last few months,” he said.
Shikarpur blast
The main opposition leader also criticised the government for not taking parliament into confidence on the Shikarpur attack in which dozens of people were killed while offering Friday prayers.
“Neither the prime minister nor any member of the cabinet visited the bereaved families to express sympathy with them,” Shah said. He particularly targeted Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and said he did not even condemn the terror incident.
“The prime minister or interior minister should inform the nation about the kind of steps being taken to deal with the menace of terrorism,” he added.
The house was later adjourned till Wednesday (today) after Shah pointed out that the concerned ministers were not present in the house to listen to the opposition on petrol and energy crises.
Earlier, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had left the house after opening the debate on petroleum shortage.
During his brief address, Abbasi said: “Learning a lesson from the petrol shortage last month, the government has now built up required stocks, which is evident from the fact that no shortage was reported on February 1, when three times more petrol was consumed due to reduction in its prices’.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 4th, 2015.