LAHORE: The issue of setting up a provincial finance commission on the pattern of the National Finance Commission again echoed in the Punjab Assembly on Monday when the House resumed pre-budget debate after a two-day break here.

A Treasury member also sought reintroduction of the wealth tax withdrawn during Musharraf regime.

Jamaat-i-Islami parliamentary leader Dr Waseem Akhtar suggested forming a provincial finance commission for fair distribution of resources among all the districts in the province.

Quoting reports by some think-tanks, he said 60 percent of the development budget of Punjab was being spent in Lahore, and the remaining 40pc went to the whole province. Of that 40pc, a major chunk went to Rawalpindi and Faisalabad districts, Dr Akhtar said, adding that the process was turning the already underdeveloped areas more backward.

The opposition MPA also criticised bloc allocations of funds in the budget.

He also announced introducing a resolution in the House aimed at bringing about a change in the provincial government mechanism so that a minister could become head of a department instead of secretary. He was of the view that an elected person could understand public issues much better than a bureaucrat.

He lamented that no meeting of the committee formed two months ago to amend rules of business in this respect was being convened.

The JI leader regretted that the proposals put forth by the MPAs were not incorporated in the budget. He demanded a select departmental committee should discuss the proposals and give its opinion on the same to the House, as it happened in the US, the UK and India.

PML-N MPA Sheikh Alauddin blamed the rich for rising inflation in the country. He said the rich wore a summer suit worth Rs15,000 minimum and took Rs3,000 per head meal, setting higher standards of spending. He demanded that this class of society should be brought under tax net by levying wealth tax.

He demanded the government should bring under tax net such hotels and restaurants which were doing a roaring business but contributing nothing to the exchequer.

Earlier, the House was told during the Question Hour that the provincial government was going to introduce a five-year plan for the provision of clean drinking water to the people down to union council level.

Acting speaker Sher Ali Gorchani also informed the legislators that the chief minister had provided Rs100 million fund for the accomplishment of the new assembly building. The project, he said, would be completed by next year.

The House also passed a resolution seeking publication of all federal and provincial laws accurately in the law books.

Later, the Chair adjourned proceedings of the House for Tuesday morning.

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2015

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