LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly passed on Monday the Finance Bill 2016-17 with 10 amendments, clearing the annual budget of around Rs1.45 trillion along with a few new taxes and increase in certain tax ratios.

The opposition members, however, termed the budget and finance bill anti-people by giving several suggestions which were rejected by a majority vote of the house.

As Punjab Finance Minister Dr Ayesha-Ghaus Pasha moved the finance bill for consideration, Opposition Leader Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed on a point of order requested Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal to allow debate on the bill.

The chair allowed the discussion after having some arguments with the opposition leader that the debate over the finance bill was not a precedent in the parliamentary history and seeking advice from the Punjab law minister who said the general principles of the bill could be discussed.

Finance bill carries some new taxes and increase in rates of certain levies

Rasheed termed the budget pro-elite and pro-businessmen, saying the government claimed the budget would be tax-free, but the bill would further burden commoners.

He criticised the government for enhancing tax to Rs70,000 for vehicles up to 1300CC and passing relief to the owners of luxury vehicles and announcing new taxes for owners of empty plots, marquees, marriage halls and motorcycle-rickshaws.

The opposition leader said the government had spared the rich people who would run luxury vehicles and can pay up to Rs5 million tax.

MPAs Shunila Ruth, Mian Aslam Iqbal and Dr Nosheen Hamid also spoke against the budget, saying the finance bill carrying new taxes would further squeeze the ordinary people and small business holders.

Finance Minister Dr Ayesa told the house that the government was plugging in the leakages in the collection of property and motor vehicle taxes.

She said the opposition benches either did not study the finance bill or they had failed to understand it.

Pasha said the government had not burdened ordinary taxpayers and rather taxed those who were able to pay taxes, adding the government was bringing about certain reforms in tax administration.

She said the government wanted people to invest in manufacturing units and businesses rather in real estate.

The finance minister said the tax was not imposed on those people who bought plots from their life savings for constructing houses, but on those real estate people who invested in plots to play with market sentiments.

Similarly, she said the poor rickshaw owners had not been taxed rather they were given relief in paying life-time token.The house also passed the Punjab Local Government (Fourth Amendment) Bill 2016 with a majority vote.

Earlier, opposition members pressed the chair not to approve the amendment which would not change the fate of people.

PPP MPA Qaiz Ahmad Saeed said the PML-N government, who held local bodies elections on the orders of the Supreme Court, was avoiding handing over powers to the elected people.

After local government polls, elections on reserved seats had to be held, but the government once again had brought about amendments to the act only to retain financial powers.

The MPA said the government did not want to provide basic facilities to citizens of Punjab by delaying elections on reserved seats.

He said the opposition could have welcomed those amendments which would directly benefit the public.

Saeed said the government did not want to delegate powers to local governments actually otherwise it would not be able to spend money on Orange Line Train and Metro Bus projects. He requested the chair not to pass the amendment.

Under the amendment, if any metropolitan corporation, municipal corporation and municipal committee have not fixed the property tax in its territory the tax will be imposed under Urban Immoveable Property Tax Act Punjab 1958.

The proposed amendment will also empower rural union councils having urban characteristics to decide ratios of property tax.

Sadia Sohail Rana of PTI said though the government had held LG elections in 2015, it didn’t delegate powers to the elected representatives.

Castigating the claims of good governance, she said the government was creating a number of authorities, but no funds were being given to such authorities. She cited the case of Lahore Fort which had been put under the control of Walled City of Lahore Authority.

Rana invited the attention of Sanaullah Khan towards deteriorating state of health, education, sewerage and drinking water in union councils of her constituency.

Arif Abbas of PPP also lambasted the government for proposing property tax in the limits of rural union councils which had urban characteristics.

Punjab Local Government Minister Rana Sanaullah on a point of order said the Sindh and Punjab governments after getting permission from the Election Commission of Pakistan made amendments and increased the seats of vice chairmen and deputy mayors subject to the population.

Criticising the PPP for challenging the Punjab government’s move to increase seats through amendments, the minister said the same party in association with PML-N had made the same amendments in Sindh.The Punjab Civil Courts (Amendment) Ordinance 2016, the Punjab Blood Transfusion Safety Act 2016, and the Punjab Revenue Authority (Second Amendment) Act 2016 were also tabled in the house upon which the speaker referred those to the standing committees concerned and sought reports within two months time. The laying of the Schedule of Authorised Expenditure for the year 2016-17 was also tabled in the house.

Meanwhile, the speaker adjourned the 22nd session till 10am on Tuesday (today) to take up general discussion on supplementary budget 2015-16.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2016