Govt did not impose additional taxes on people: Miftah Ismail
Published May 15, 2018
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail remarked on Tuesday that the government provided tax relief to all segments of society in the budget 2018-19, adding that no additional taxes were levied which is unprecedented in the history of Pakistan.
He remarked that the government had given relief to people from a low-income background by exempting their incomes from tax. He categorically stated that the government did not impose Rs30 billion taxes on petroleum products, nor was it intending to do so in future.
The minister clarified that enhancing the upper limit of petroleum levy was a constitutional requirement.
Winding up the budget debate in the National Assembly, the federal minister expressed the gratitude to all members of the assembly who fully participated in the budget debate, particularly the opposition members, who played a positive role despite specific reservations.
Responding to various objections related to the presentation of the budget by the incumbent government, he said it was the duty of the parliament to fix the direction of national priorities for next financial year.
The fiscal budget was an important part of the legislation process, which should be done by the elected parliament, he added.
Miftah congratulated Chief Ministers of Sindh and Baluchistan for presenting the budget of their respective provinces but questioned why did Sindh present budget for only three months.
Export package
Miftah shared that the government had announced an export package, which resulted in enhancing the exports of the country, adding the exports witnessed an increase of 24 percent in March 2018 and 18 percent in April 2018.
He said that a new export package was also on cards, which is being launched under the direction of Prime Minister, adding that Rs 24 billion have been set aside in the budget for it.
Explaining issues related to exports, the minister said that these had suffered due to recession in the international market, internal security problems, and energy crisis during the last some years.
He rejected the misperception and claims of some members of the House that the government at one side had withdrawn taxes of about Rs 184 billion and imposed other taxes of Rs400 billion.
