Pakistan

RGST: More rejection for reformed tax

JUI-F says it will not support govt's bid to seek National Assembly approval for bill.

Zia Khan December 10, 2010

ISLAMABAD: The Jamiat Ulemae Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) said they will not support the government’s bid to seek the National Assembly approval for a bill aimed at reforming an “outdated and leaking” taxation system.

“We will oppose when it comes to the parliament,” JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman said on Thursday, apparently aggravating troubles for the government in taking the reformed general sales tax (RGST) bill through the National Assembly.

Rehman, who is known for his tricky flip-flop on key national issues, was speaking to the media after chairing a meeting of parliamentarians from his party. “The RGST is being introduced on the pressure of America…we will vote against it,” the party chief told journalists. Primarily designed to bring outright structural changes in the tax collection mechanism, the RGST bill is being criticised as anti-poor by masses, traders, manufactures and industrialists alike.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (1)

maitre | 13 years ago | Reply The present government and it's parilmentarians seem to enforce the so controversial RGST in the country in order to crush the already suppressed middle and lower middle classes. It's interesting to note that our politicians, industrialists, businessmen and high profile bureaucrats make big claims about our capabilities and paint every thing 'rozy'. At the same time, these governing classes earn hundreds of billion rupees every year. But when it comes to paying taxes, only the salaried class contributes its taxes return honestly because the taxes are directly deducted from their salaries monthly. One wonders some time: Are these people born from the mouth of any god? Are they superior to other countrymen? Do they belong to a better race or ethnie? Because of their national exchequer looting, the country is forced to heavy borrowing at very high interest rates. Consequently, the poor masses pay the price. Yet we claim that we are better off than the Indians. We forget that we are a beggar nation and the beggars are not the chosers. India have foreign exchange reserves amounting to $274.7 billions while Pakistan's foreign reserves are merely double digits ($ 13 billion). Furthermore, whenever a newly elected government takes the power, they write off heavy loans taken from the banks as the money belonged to the man who issued such orders. Our politicians, industrialists, businessmen and high profile bureaucrats are all unscrupulous bunch of unpatriotics who are conditioned to govern the country with superiority complex and without any nationalistic approach. They need to be reminded that the country will be self sufficient only if every single citizen contributes his share of income, property, sale taxes to pave the way for a prosperous economy of a modern developing Pakistan. Other wise, we are at the pitfall of a bankrupt country. Come on all you who are eligible to contribute to the betterment of this country of which you earn hundreds of billion of dollars and Pak Rupees yearly. The poormen or the masses contribute their share through the taxes on the products and electricity as well other commodities they pruchase or use. What skin are you made of?

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