ISLAMABAD, June 14: The Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) has termed the federal budget a "joke" with the nation and rejected the same in totality.

In a statement here on Monday, ARD secretary-general Iqbal Zafar Jhagra said reduction in duties on aeroplanes, cars, videos, digital cameras and cosmetics showed that the budget had been prepared for the rich.

The ARD leader said on the other hand, 15 per cent sales tax levied on cotton seed oil and crude vegetable oil would directly hit the common man. He said no plans had been made in the budget for the redressal of the poor's problems.

Mr Jhagra said the budget would add further to the miseries of the common man, who had already under tremendous pressure to provide meals to his family twice a day and ensure good health and education for his children.

The ARD leader said poverty alleviation, education and health had been given a less share in the budget. He said the government's claim of 4.2 per cent reduction in poverty was baseless, otherwise Musharraf-Jamali government would have highlighted this achievement well in advance.

"Economic surveys prior to and during Gen Musharraf era does not support the above claim and reveal a very high increase in poverty from 20 to 33 per cent according to the State Bank of Pakistan annual report 2003."

Moreover, he said, according to the Planning Commission's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, released in May 2003, the poverty ratio in Pakistan increased to 32.1 per cent in the year 2000 following a severe drought.

Pakistan has some of the worst poverty indicators in Asia and almost 42 per cent of the population could be living below the poverty line by the year 2010, he added.

Mr Jhagra said the government had presented manipulated figures in the Economic Survey. He said there were hopes that the budget would focus on pro-poor growth, which could have been achieved by encouraging labour sectors such as agriculture.

He was of the view that share of indirect taxes in the total receipts was as much as 68 per cent, which would hit the poor sections of the society. He criticized the allocation of a major portion of the budget on defence and non-development sector.