14 August 2004	Saturday	27 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

PESHAWAR, Aug 13: The Awami National Party has demanded of the federal government to finalize the National Finance Commission (NFC) award. The party also called for a greater share for the provinces.

"The ANP believes that the Centre should get only 20 per cent from the federal divisible pool (FDP) of taxes and the rest should go to the federating units in line with the Constitution that asks for provincial autonomy," said ANP's vice president Haji Mohammed Adeel in a press statement here on Friday.

The party, he maintained, wanted abolition of the concurrent list of the constitution to ensure greater role for provinces, larger share from the FDP for the provinces, placement of levy collected on petroleum products in the FDP, exclusion of central excise duty on tobacco and tobacco products from the FDP and cut in the administrative size of the federal government by abolishing the departments that already existed in the provinces.

"The Centre should only take care of four subjects - defence, currency, communications and foreign affairs - and the rest should be left to the provinces," said the ANP leader.

Haji Adeel, a former deputy speaker of the NWFP assembly, accused the government of delaying the NFC award to keep enjoying greater share from the FDP resources. "Delay in the announcement of the new award," said Haji Adeel, "is to the benefit of Islamabad as it is enjoying greater resources at the cost of the federating units that are in deep financial crisis."